Rail freight from China going straight into the heart of Scandinavia

Increased demand for rail freight between China and Europe

We see a big increase in demand for rail freight between Asia and Europe, and more freight forwarders are stepping up their services. In 2016, about 1800 block trains transported goods between China and Europe, and by 2020, the expectations are 5000. Also, customers’ expectations have changed – they are looking for more than just a regular transport solution. Of course, cost is always a factor to consider but, moreover, the customers want to use a freight forwarder that transports the goods in a sustainable way.

With our new rail service, we can offer a mode of transport that brings both environmental and cost benefits to our customers, particularly in Sweden.

The first container trains to directly link China and Scandinavia

With our new rail service, we can now transport goods all the way from China, through Russia and Belarus, to Sweden by rail. Previously, the goods were cross-docked at our warehouse in Karpin, just outside Warsaw in Poland, before taken onwards by road to the final destination. With our new service, the containers are unloaded in Hamburg in Germany and reloaded onto rail waggons for onward transportation to Scandinavia and our new hub in Hallsberg in Sweden. The lead time from Hamburg to Hallsberg is only a few days.

At the moment, we are only operating FCL (Full Container Load) via this setup in Hamburg. But we are investigating the possibilities to send LCL (Less than Container Load) as well.

Read the full article here.