PKP Cargo launches rolling highway from Czechia to Italy
After establishing the reliable piggyback connection from Lithuania to Germany last year, PKP Cargo Group has shifted its focus southwestward. This time PKP Cargo International, a Czechia-based subsidiary of the Polish holding, is planning to launch a ro-la link from Ostrava in Czechia to Verona in Italy. The new service is devoted to transporting semi-trailers of LKW Walter.
To establish a new rolling highway, PKP Cargo International and LKW Walter have signed the two-year cooperation agreement. Later in May, the trains will start to deliver semi-trailers of the Austrian haulage company from Ostrava-Paskov terminal to Terminali Italia in Verona five times a week. This is another move in strengthening PKP Cargo’s stance in Europe. “The growth of intermodal transport in the North-South corridor in Europe is one of our key priorities for the growth of the PKP Cargo International in the European market,” said Maciej Walczyk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PKP Cargo International.
Ostrava-Paskov terminal
PKP Cargo International (then known as AWT) commenced the Ostrava-Paskov terminal in 2007 as the first intermodal facility in Czechia. It is located close to Ostrava, the third-largest and significant industrial city in the country. As Ostrava is situated close to Poland and Slovakia, this opens up additional options for the last-mile deliveries by road. “The terminal in Paskov is very popular among our customers and we plan to further expand it and increase its capacity. By developing greener combined transport and constantly increasing the number of intermodal trains for our clients, we are supporting the European Union’s long-term strategy to move goods from congested roads and motorways to rail,” added Maciej Walczyk.
Towards Germany
In May 2020 PKP Cargo had another positive experience in commencing ro-la connections. The Polish company in a partnership with Lithuanian Railways (Lietuvos Geležinkeliai) and CargoBeamer launched a dedicated service to deliver semi-trailers by rail from Šeštokai station in Lithuania to Kaldenkirchen Intermodal Terminal in Germany. Both termini are located next to the borders with adjacent states, Poland and the Netherlands respectively, to attract more haulage companies. The Šeštokai – Kaldenkirchen train runs a distance of 3,000 kilometres in two days that is competitive with delivery by road.