Kombiverkehr Links Duisburg and Antwerp With Own Direct Train

Frankfurt-based Kombiverkehr is boosting its services to and from the western seaports with a new direct train with daily departures between Duisburg and Antwerp. Commencing on May 25, the service enhances the combination options at one of Europe's most important nodal points for railroad combined transport in the Ruhr region.

"Duisburg gives our customers the ideal opportunity to transfer consignments to trains heading for all major European economic regions. The terminal also has excellent links to the dense motorway network in the region, which ensures rapid initial and final legs for collecting or delivering consignments by truck," explained Robert Breuhahn, general manager of Kombiverkehr. "The new direct train is not least a response to the significant pick-up in demand we are again seeing from the chemical industry."

The destination in Antwerp is the Combinant terminal operated by chemical giant BASF.

"However, the service is expressly also open for forwarders working for other transporters," Breuhahn emphasized. "Maritime containers from Antwerp's docks can also be delivered to Antwerp Combinant."

During the economic crisis, companies in the chemical industry who prefer to ship their raw materials and products by rail, not least because of the particularly high safety requirements, had to downscale their production significantly, which necessarily contributed to the drop in the number of shipments sent by combined transport.

"We are particularly delighted that forwarders and transporters in the chemical industry have returned to combined transport as demand picks up rather than migrating to the road", Breuhahn added. "That's why we didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity to offer a customized product on the major route between the Ruhr region and Antwerp, which is of course extremely important for the chemical industry."
For the experienced Kombiverkehr manager, the overnight service is also further evidence that combined transport can pay off financially even over distances of less than 300 kilometers. The train covers exactly 253 kilometers from terminal to terminal.

"It is essential to the success of trains covering short distances either that the initial and final legs to the Combined Transport terminal are simple, short and fast or that the short section serves as a feeder or extension for other trains. This route met all those conditions."