New Combined Train Connection from Bettembourg to Kiel

In close collaboration, CFL multimodal, Stena Line, and LKW WALTER have initiated a new direct connection in combined freight transport (KV) between the intermodal terminal Bettembourg-Dudelange (Luxembourg) and the Kiel Sweden Quay for further shipping to Gothenburg. The shift of traffic to rail reduces emissions of greenhouse gases

(Kiel, January 21, 2020) The first train left Luxembourg on January 21 and arrives in Kiel on January 22. The connection initially starts with three round trips per week, with departures from Kiel on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The new service connects the Scandinavian markets via the intermodal hub Bettembourg with Central Europe, France, and Spain. Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of PORT OF KIEL: “We welcome the new connection and support the expansion of combined freight transport. As part of our port’s BLUE PORT strategy, we aim to shift hinterland traffic from road to rail wherever possible. The new Bettembourg-Kiel connection makes an important contribution to reducing emissions.” The train is 710 m long and consists of 21 flatcars for trailers and containers. With the help of the train, up to 10,000 trailers and containers can be shifted from road to the more environmentally friendly transport mode of rail each year. This year, PORT OF KIEL already expects a transport volume of 8,000 loading units between Kiel and Bettembourg.The expansion of the Kiel marshalling yard in Meimersdorf, completed in November of last year, was a prerequisite for new train connections. Dirk Claus: “The Luxembourg train is a first success of the expansion of the rail infrastructure at the marshalling yard and the Sweden Quay in Kiel.” The investments made by Deutsche Bahn at the Kiel marshalling yard allow for longer trains and thus improved profitability. From now on, trains with a total length of 750 m (previously 550 m) can enter, and a third shunting and staging track is available at the Sweden Quay. Already today, 25% of hinterland traffic is handled by rail at the Sweden Quay. After nearly 24,000 loading units were loaded onto the rail last year, this year it is expected to be significantly over 30,000 units. “The new combined train exemplifies the land-based services that Stena Line proactively implements and markets directly in collaboration with partners. The cooperation with CFL multimodal and LKW Walter demonstrates a new way of thinking in organizing freight flows in the interest of a more sustainable offering. We see great potential here for the future and are working hard to establish more attractive KV relations to Sweden,” says Katrin Verner, Freight Commercial Manager at Stena Line.

About Stena Line

Since its founding in 1962, the Swedish shipping company Stena Line has developed into one of the largest ferry companies in the world, currently employing around 5,000 people. In 2018, the fleet transported over 7.6 million passengers, 1.7 million cars, and 2.1 million freight units between the Netherlands and Great Britain, across the Irish Sea, and in the Baltic Sea between Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Latvia, and Germany. The fleet currently consists of 38 ships serving destinations on 20 routes. In addition, extensive package and service offerings are part of the company’s services. Stena Line operates in Germany from four ports and two locations, the headquarters of Stena Line GmbH & Co. KG in Rostock and the office in Kiel.

About CFL intermodal

The CFL multimodal group represents a global service provider that covers all areas of the multimodal logistics chain. With 12 companies in 6 European countries, CFL multimodal and its sister company CFL Cargo offer a high-quality and customer-oriented service portfolio: combined and conventional rail freight transport, wagon maintenance and repair, customs clearance, as well as forwarding and logistics services. In Luxembourg, CFL multimodal’s activities focus on the intermodal terminal Bettembourg-Dudelange in the Eurohub Sud Logistics Park. With its strategic location on the Rail Freight Corridor 2 (North Sea-Mediterranean) and in the middle of the main axes of European transport routes, this multimodal hub is well-suited for the consolidation of multimodal transport flows both across Europe and beyond.With an annual capacity of 600,000 UTI and equipped with the latest technologies regarding safety and monitoring, the intermodal terminal Bettembourg-Dudelange is connected to the main seaports as well as to the most important industrial regions by combined shuttle trains.

About the PORT OF KIEL

The Port of Kiel is one of the most versatile ports in the Baltic Sea region. Ferry connections to Scandinavia and the Baltic States are part of the port’s core business. Daily departures to Norway, Sweden, and Lithuania offer freight customers the best opportunities for shipping to the target markets of the Baltic Sea region.
WWW.PORTOFKIEL.COM