New express intermodal connection in Port of Antwerp
Port of Antwerp is continuing to improve connectivity with its hinterland. Within this policy, a new express intermodal service was launched on Monday, 4 April. It links the Belgian port with the Industrial Park Höchst in Frankfurt. As a result, containers from Antwerp can be moved to Frankfurt by two modes of transport – barges and trains.
German logistics provider Contargo commenced a new intermodal service from the Port of Antwerp, which is branded as the Frankfurt-Antwerp Express Shuttle. Contargo Rail Services, the company’s rail freight subsidiary, links the second-largest port in Europe, particularly Antwerp Gateway Q1700 and the PSA container terminals Q913 and Q869, with Contargo Industriepark Frankfurt-Höchst, the company’s terminal in the Industrial Park Höchst in Frankfurt.
Initially, the express shuttle will run on the new route once a week but its frequency can be increased if it needs. From Frankfurt, the block train departs on Mondays and arrives at the Antwerp Gateway terminal on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, it is processed at the PSA Terminals Q913 and Q869, before setting out on the return trip to Frankfurt.
Contargo Rail Services arranged the new express intermodal connection in a partnership with RTB Cargo, a German family-owned railway undertaking. The latter is responsible for traction between Antwerp and Frankfurt. The new shuttle train complements the barge service of Contargo, which links similar destinations via the inland waterways.