Trials of heavy-duty tanktainers by German logistics provider Kombiverkehr have been going well. Successful completion of field trials will provide new opportunities for bulk liquids and chemicals transport on rail-based intermodal services, using the company’s own rolling stock. The fifty-year old company took the decision to move into the tanks sector a little over three years ago.

The Frankfurt headquartered specialist say that their new 52-foot container wagons, fitted with 72-ton tank containers, have completed successful testing. The short, weight-optimised carriers were added to the Kombiverkehr wagon fleet last July. They say their fleet now comprises 362 proprietary wagons, with total capacity for more than 500 truck consignments.

Exceptionally long and heavy tank containers

The decision by the company to move into the tank sector was in part prompted by the demand within German industry for specialist chemical supplies. “Initial trials on loading the exceptionally long and heavy tank containers for end-to-end rail transport were recently held successfully on the line between Ludwigshafen and Hamm”, says co-managing director Armin Riedl. “This means we can offer active assistance to the chemical industry and the forwarding companies heavily dependent on it by enabling them to run existing tank wagon transports successfully within our Germany-wide and European intermodal network.”

Kombiverkehr took the decision three years ago to enter into the tank container segment of the market, adding to their extensive capabilities and presence in Western Europe. The initiative strengthens the company’s environmental credentials, which even extend to fitting noise-abating plastic brake blocks on trains routed through highly populated areas.

Deployed on high-value routes

The new tanktainers, with a capacity of up to 73,500 litres and a payload of up to 67 metric tons, mounted on the company’s hi-tech carriers, are being deployed on high-value routes to maximise returns. Currently the company says they will be primarily used on flows between Cologne and Trieste, Wuppertal and Verona, and Ludwigshafen to Barcelona.

As a licensed operator itself, Kombiverkehr liveried trains have been a familiar sight on European rails since 1999. They operate around 170 trains daily. The company, which is a partnership of over 200 stakeholders, has interests all over the Continent, from Blyth in England to Mersin in Turkey.