The Port of Kiel in northern Germany handled over 32,000 rail freight consignments last year, a rise of 9.5 per cent, according to official figures.

These intermodal successes helped ensure 2017 was one of the best ever years in terms of freight movements for the Baltic port, said its owners. A total of 32,104 trailers and containers were loaded onto rail wagons at the Schwedenkal and Ostuferhafen terminals.

Hinterland

Trains operated by Kombiverkehr KG between Kiel and Verona in Italy saw the biggest growth, followed by the TX Logistik-operated Kiel-Trieste (also Italy) route. In 2017, the port as a whole handled record numbers of freight, passing the seven million tonnes mark for the first time. That equated to an increase of 14.3 per cent over the previous year and is the best annual result ever achieved by the port.

Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel, said: “Once again we succeeded in switching a significant part of ferry traffic handling growth from the roads to environmentally friendly rail. In doing so we are making a contribution to sustainability in hinterland port transport.”

Expansion

The port is also planning two major expansion programmes, designed to further improve the efficiency of its intermodal operations. The first is the upgrading of the Kiel-Meimersdorf Marshalling to a level where it can accept goods trains of 740 metres in length as part of the Government’s priority Seaport Hinterland Traffic II programme. The second is the installation of a third rail track at the Schwedenkai terminal. Building work on both projects will begin during 2018, with the aim for completion by the end of the year.