InRail, a railway company active in Italy and Slovenia, completed its first train trip connecting Škrljevo in Croatia and Creutzwald in north-eastern France. The 385 metre-long train crossed a 2,000 kilometres distance carrying 20 tanks with propylene. It travelled through three countries in cooperation with Train Hungary in Croatia and Captrain and ECR in France.

This new rail service followed a unique route. Starting from Croatia, it crossed to Slovenia from Dobova and entered Italy from the Villa Opicina border crossing near Trieste. Then it crossed the whole Italian North until Ventimiglia at the border with France. After it entered France, it travelled alongside the French Riviera coast until reaching Miramas near Marseille.

Subsequently, it changed direction towards the north-eastern part of France until it reached Creutzwald, which lies in the French-German border and is also very close to Luxemburg. The train’s total transit time was 60 hours, and it reached its final destination on 1 July.

A company milestone

InRail is a railway company founded in 2009. It transports goods like raw materials, ferrous scrap, steel products, chemicals, cereals, timber, and dangerous goods. It is active in Italy and Slovenia, and most of its services concern domestic routes in Italy.

Understandably, the company’s involvement in an international rail freight service is a significant benchmark for its course so far. “We are delighted with the result achieved with this train, which we ran completely with our own locomotives, tracks and staff and which crossed the whole of Slovenia and Italy. With more than 2,000 km travelled, this is the longest distance InRail has ever managed,” commented commercial director Lucio Gentile.