Kombiverkehr’s rail freight service between Cologne in Germany and the port of Trieste in Italy offers one more weekly departure. The intermodal company announced that it increased its weekly roundtrips in this route from three to four. The aim is to serve better cargo distribution between Italian, Greek and Turkish ports.

“Containers and semi-trailers with full P400 profile reach not only Northern Italy, but with subsequent ferry transport, they also reach Patras in Greece and Pendik, Cesme and Mersin in Turkey with only one booking,” stated the company on a LinkedIn post.

Southeast Europe and further

The intermodal operators laid eyes on greek and Turkish ports that become part of the intermodal network. Intermodal cargo will be transhipped at the port of Trieste and travel to the port of Patras in western Greece. The port of Patras is a crucial hub in Greece with many and good connections to Italian ports, playing a prominent role in Adriatic trade. However, it can also work as a gateway since with a connection to Piraeus, Greece’s largest port. Cargo could travel to further destinations in the Mediterranean basin and even Asia via the Suez Canal.

As for Turkey, cargo will reach three ports, Pendik, which is in the Asian part of Istanbul and has major rail freight terminals in close proximity. Cesme, in the central-western Turkish coast and Mersin, in the southern Turkish coast. Connections to these ports could serve domestic freight forwarding in Turkey but could also contribute to transporting cargo towards Asia, either by sea or rail.

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