Samskip has raised rail freight capacity between Duisburg in Germany and Katrineholm in Sweden by one third, following an agreement with TX Logistik to launch a new multimodal service connecting the Ruhr and the greater Stockholm area.

Launched April 6^th, two new TX Logistik roundtrips are running each week from Samskip’s Duisburg Rail Terminal, with TX Logistik taking over traction from Krefeld-Uerdingen via Padborg (Denmark), the Öresund Bridge and Malmö to the GDL terminal at Katrineholm.

With Samskip responsible for slot management, the launch also increases overall service frequency between Samskip’s Duisburg rail hub and Katrineholm, south-west of Stockholm, to eight trains a week. The Katrineholm terminal can accommodate 700m length trains and therefore handle 42 unit loads in a single operation, including the full range of containers, swap bodies and semi-trailers.

“Door-door service demand on this route is rising, as well as quay-quay moves, and we look forward to working with TX Logistik to bring home the efficiencies of multimodal to the commercial heartlands of Sweden and Germany,” says Johan Grootkarzijn, Director Rail, Samskip. “Increased frequency strengthens the case for sustainable multimodal transport, responds to growing demand in the market and answers requests from freight forwarders.”

For TX Logistik, the agreement creates a new option in its expanding European network of transport solutions, reinforcing its presence in Sweden and targeting industrial and consumer freight volumes moving over the rails to/from the key Södermanlands län region. Around one third of Sweden’s population is within a 150-kilometer radius of Katrineholm.

“We have already worked closely with Samskip on several opportunities and have a strong partnership in transporting UK-related freight for them by rail between Rotterdam and Munich,” says Bernd Weisweiler, Director Business Development, TX Logistik. “We now see another good opportunity to demonstrate the reliable service quality of TX Logistik on an important European intermodal route.”

The move comes at a moment of opportunity for multimodal services in Europe, whose lower emissions against road haulage increasingly align with sustainability goals set by corporates. February’s implementation of EU Mobility Package measures to improve haulier working conditions have pushed road freight capacity out of the market.

“We are putting the reliability and planning advantages of multimodal at the top of the agenda just as season hits its peak,” says Grootkarzijn. “We are also reducing departure lead times so that, every day, terminal to terminal transits are achieved within 24 hours.”

Samskip offers pan-European, environmentally responsible combined transport services via shortsea, road, rail and inland waterway routes. We are committed to cost-effectiveness, operational excellence and best practice in sustainable transport.

High frequency services connect destinations across Europe, the Baltic States, Iceland and Faroes Island, and Russia, both door-to-door (including collection) and quay-to-quay, transported using a wide range of owned vessels, containers, trucks and trailers. To match equipment to cargoes shipped, options include a full range of ISO containers and reefers, including 33-pallet capacity 45ft units.

Samskip’ Global Forwarding division offers global expertise in transporting perishables. With offices throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas connected by state-of-the-art operational software, and backed by a group transporting 800,000 containers every year, we bring fresh food to your markets worldwide.

In all cases shippers can make real choices based on frequency of service, transit times, freight rates and sustainability.