PKP Cargo Connect and Turkish logistics provider Logitrans have agreed to launch a new rail freight service between Poland and Turkey. The dedicated train will connect the cities of Gliwice and Izmit. Gliwice is positioned in Southeast Poland, close to Krakow, while Izmit is a port city on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Both of them are steadily gaining importance as transport and logistics hubs.

The service will begin with one weekly Gliwice-Izmit-Gliwice roundtrip. By the end of the year, PKP Cargo aims to add one more trip to the route, based on the previous performance and the customer demand. In any case, the train service will need some time to establish since it is the first direct connection between the two destinations.

Strategic move

PKP Cargo’s expansion to Turkey is a very well-calculated move. First of all, it will function as part of PKP’s broader comprehensive Connect Operator network, which links several Polish cities with European destinations such as Piacenza in Italy and Duisburg and Hamburg in Germany.

Turkey will be the new international connection that will grant PKP access to Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. According to the Polish operator, Turkey is an emerging power in Eurasian transportation and activities in this region will broaden the company’s opportunities for new and competitive markets. The collaboration with Logitrans is based on the same perspective. The Turkish company is active in Asia, Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries that PKP Cargo aims to include in its agenda.

On top of that, PKP will strengthen its presence in the Black Sea basin countries and develop routes that could also prove beneficial for the North-South freight corridor between the Black Sea and the Baltic.

Combined transport

Another interesting aspect of the new service is that it will also offer first and last-mile services. Specifically, the two partners are willing to provide truck connections from the shippers to the terminal and from the terminal to the recipients while also taking care of the customs clearance.

Consequently, the Gliwice-Izmit rail link will function as an end-to-end service taking care of all logistical details and providing complete combined transport services. This offer will probably play an important role in establishing the service and attracting more customers.

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