Two major rail operators, Rail Cargo Group (RCG) and Lineas, have introduced new freight connections to strengthen sustainable transport options across key European hubs.
Rail Cargo Group has launched its new TransFER Duisburg–Antwerp route, which directly connects the Rhine-Ruhr region in Germany with the Belgian port of Antwerp.
This new link, designed to accommodate both wagonloads and containers, offers two round trips per week, each with a transit time of approximately 7.5 hours. The TransFER Duisburg–Antwerp link is also suitable for transporting hazardous materials.
Meanwhile, Lineas, Europe’s largest private rail freight operator, in collaboration with ECS, has introduced a new sustainable freight link between Zeebrugge, Belgium, and Crailsheim, located in the Stuttgart region of Germany.
Starting in September, this connection will operate three trains per week, potentially taking over 11,000 containers off the road annually, saving an estimated 2,600 tons of CO2. The rail link will span 751 kilometres, with transit completed within 24 hours.
Commenting on the launch of the new service, Bernard Gustin, Executive Chairman of Lineas, said:
“This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to providing sustainable transportation solutions that not only improve supply chain efficiency, but also help reduce CO2 emissions. Together with ECS, we are taking an important step towards a greener future.”
On top of this, a new intermodal connection between the rail freight terminal in Bettembourg-Dudelange in Luxembourg and the Railport Arad in Curtici in Romania will be introduced from October 8, CFL multimodal announced in a press release on Tuesday.
A train will travel to Romania three times a week to “connect Western Europe with Romania in particular and with the Balkans and Turkey in general,” writes CFL multimodal.
The growing number of freight forwarders and production facilities in Romania, as well as the daily traffic congestion on the Hungarian-Romanian border, have had a major influence on the creation of this new connection.