Port connections

2 new rail connections for mega-ship port of Wilhelmshaven

Published on 26-01-2023 at 12:06

Image: JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven

TX Logistik has launched two new connections between the port of Wilhelmshaven and southern Germany. Since mid-January, the rail logistics company, which is part of Mercitalia Logistics, has been running one round trip per week between the Jade-Weser Port and the rail terminals in Nuremberg and Kornwestheim.

Both routes are operated as direct connections and offered in cooperation with boxXpress, a railway company specialised in rail connections from the German ports to hinterland destinations. The destination in Nuremberg is the Tricon container terminal and in Kornwestheim the train is destined for the Duss Kombiterminal, which acts as a hub for the Stuttgart/Ludwigsburg area.

Jade-Weser Port and its ever-larger vessels

The choice for Jade-Weser Port in Wilhelmshaven is not a random one, as it is expected to grow in volumes over the years. It is the only deep-water port between the Eems and Weser rivers, which gives it an advantage over the port of Hamburg and Bremen. A deep-sea water ports can handle larger vessels, which means more turnover. On the Baltic sea coast, the port of Rostock has this advantage. The port of Rostock is the largest deep-sea port in Germany.

However, larger container volumes is not a direct advantage to rail. Although this means more demand, large deep-sea vessels are also considered a big challenge for the rail freight industry, as there are a lot of containers loaded at the same time, at a much larger scale than what a fully loaded freight train can handle.

Wilhelmshaven and the hinterland

Wilhelmshaven is increasingly the destination of ever larger container vessels and is already served by eight shipping companies on a scheduled basis. Based on this development, TX is planning to add more connections between Wilhelmshaven and terminals in the hinterland by rail in the first half of this year.

TX Logistics is not the only company facilitating hinterland traffic. There are currently nine operators transporting cargo into the country and across its borders. Transfracht is offering most of the services.