METRANS launches daily train to boost exports via Hamburg
A new destination has been added to METRANS’ network this January. The company has launched a daily train between Kornwestheim, next to Stuttgart and the port of Hamburg. The new service aims to streamline exports from Western Germany via the country’s mega-hub.
The train is already up and running since 8 January. The service runs daily in both directions, meaning that apart from exports, it will also facilitate cargo distribution from the port of Hamburg to the German mainland.
Apart from the metropolitan region of Stuttgart, the Kornwestheim-Hamburg train will also serve other destinations like Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim. On top of that, customers from the Stuttgart region can also benefit from connections between Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven.
Domestic expansion after some time
It has been a while since METRANS introduced some domestic German rail freight market developments. That is for a good reason since the company has been busy expanding its activities in Central Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
For example, the company became the new operator of the Indija terminal in Serbia. This was accomplished by acquiring 51 per cent of Adria Rail’s shares, the company that operated the terminal before METRANS came over. As soon as the terminal takeover was complete, METRANS also launched a connection between its rail terminal HUB in Budapest and Indija, but also between HUB and the port of Rijeka in Croatia, signalling an overall expansion in the Balkans.
The acquisition of the Indija terminal in Serbia is accompanied by two new rail terminals built by METRANS in southern Hungary. One of them is located in Szeged, near the borders with Romania and Serbia, and operations are expected to start in 2025. The other one is in Zalaegerszeg, near the Hungarian borders with Austria and Slovenia, for which construction began in 2021.METRANS will invest roughly 40 million euros in the project.
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