A Kombiverkehr KG train is now operating three times a week in both directions between the Port of Kiel and Duisburg-Ruhrort. In Kiel it will serve the Ostuferhafen and the Schwedenkai Terminal while the terminus and starting point in Duisburg is the DUSS Terminal in the Ruhrort Hafen. Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG) said: “This new direct service represents a significant further expansion of the Port of Kiel’s eco-friendly hinterland rail transport capacity. I am happy that all those involved have been able to co-operate successfully and create what is, for us, a very important connection”. The direct shuttle train is some 500 metres long and 24 slots are available on each trip for loadable trailers or 48 slots for containers or swap bodies.
The trains from Kiel run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while those from Duisburg run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. (The exact time-table is attached to this press release). Arrival and departure times have been dovetailed with ferry services to and from Lithuania as well as Sweden. Kombiverkehr KG is accepting trailers, containers and swap bodies on the Duisburg train. Loading takes place in the Ostuferhafen by means of the portal crane which only went into service last year. A comparable crane has been ordered for the Schwedenkai Terminal. The direct train link with Duisburg complements the daily intermodal shuttle service between Kiel and Hamburg-Billwerder, from where connections exist to many national Kombiverkehr destinations. “We are experiencing a constantly increasing demand for unaccompanied intermodal transport services”, said Dirk Claus. “After handling 24,000 rail consignments in Kiel last year we now aim to increase that to 30,000 over the coming year”, he added.
Along with Baltic and Scandinavian transit traffic, the terminals in Kiel also accept local freight consignments. The catchment area is central and western Schleswig-Holstein including the German-Danish border region. In this way the new shuttle train service is also making a contribution to efforts to relocate goods traffic from the roads to the railways. CO2 waste gas emissions per single consignment on the train between Kiel and Duisburg are up to 750 kilos lower than on a comparable standard truck journey. “Medium and long term”, said Dirk Claus, “the railway’s share in the port of Kiel’s hinterland transport will continue to rise. Already there is a demand for even longer block trains”. If Kiel is to be able to handle cargo trains of up to 700 metres in length in the future, then investment is required in the Meimersdorf marshalling yard. The SEEHAFEN KIEL is already holding talks with Deutsche Bahn and the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein to work out how the yard’s access tracks layout can be adapted to meet rising demand.