Rhine-Alpine News

05.10.2021

GTS starts direct rail connection between Bari and Rotterdam

GTS electric locomotives

GTS electric locomotives

Among the intermodal services in the Rhine-Alpine corridor, a new link stands out. Italian rail traction provider and operator General Transport Service (GTS) has started a direct long distance rail shuttle between Rotterdam and Bari, in the south of Italy. The train departs north on Saturdays and reaches its destination within 72 hours.

“Our direct service is particularly suited for cargo which needs a very fast transit time, like food and beverage”, explains Nick Ahsman, country manager GTS the Netherlands and Belgium. “But via Bari we also have a very good connection with Turkey to import textile.” The Bari-Rotterdam express has a capacity of 33 x 45 ft box containers in both directions. Find the complete news here (external link).

Increasing transit across Swiss Alps

The half-yearly Swiss federal report on Alpine transit shows a strong upswing for the first six months of 2021, compared to 2020. Since in 2020 transport was limited because of Covid-21 restrictions, the report also compares the new figures to 2019. While road transport is still less than pre-Covid levels, rail transport already exceeds earlier levels on most routes. Find the details here (external link).

HGK launches innovative ship

Ceremonial naming of “Gas 94”

HGK shipping in Cologne has put a new gas tanker into operation. It will shuttle between BASF in Ludwigshafen and the North Sea ports. While it is of standard 110-meter length, it is wider than typical inland vessels. Thus, it would not fit into most locks of the European canal system. However, the dimensions better suit regular low water on the Rhine: Even with extreme minimum water levels of only 30 cm at Kaub (equalling just 140 cm of local minimum depth in the fairway), “Gas 94” could carry a limited load of 200 tons of liquid gas. This is a substantial improvement compared to traditional ship design.

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