Clip Group CEO Agnieszka Hipś described the service as a 'unique opportunity to all Polish road hauliers to go to intermodal', highlighting the existing connections from Luxembourg to Spain as facilitating one of the longest rail connections in Europe with the shortest transit time.
The service, which connects Bettembourg with the Polish hub, began with the first train departing Bettembourg on 28 January. Initially, operators will run four round trips per week, but this could increase to six per week. As for the total transit time, this takes 23 hours at present.
The new rail motorway train will transport containers, craneable and non-craneable semi-trailers, with the ability to transport up to 15,000 semi-trailers per year. CFL Multimodal's managing director Fraenz Benoy highlighted the sustainable dimension to the endeavour, as the transport equates to 20,000 tonnes of CO2 savings.
The train covers a distance of more than 1,000 km and is a first step in the CFL's plans to service a rail route connecting Luxembourg to China.
In October, Minister for Mobility Public Works Francois Bausch oversaw the departure of a freight train to Bettembourg from Chengdu in October 2019. The train's journey was a step in determining the feasibility of a regular freight connection between Luxembourg and China.
