Until recently, PKP CARGO only operated its own trains to the German border, commissioning further transport to another carrier. Currently, the company already holds all the licenses and permits required in Germany to perform transport independently, including the safety certificate part B, obtained at the end of 2010 from the German equivalent of the Office of Rail Transport. The agreement between PKP CARGO and MOSOLF provides for the operation of full-train shipments six times a week, consisting of special MOSOLF wagons, on the over 400 km route from Tychy in Silesia to Elstal/Wustermark in Brandenburg. Each train is 600 m long and carries 300 FIAT cars. This has created a regular cross-border Polish-German connection, allowing for the transport of approximately 7,200 cars per month.
– The launch of independent transport services between Poland and Germany by PKP CARGO is an unprecedented event. By entering Germany, we are entering the largest railway market in Europe and we are clearly stating that to grow, we must be increasingly active in the international market. For some time now, foreign railway carriers have been present on the Polish market. Now it is our turn; we are proving that PKP CARGO can also operate effectively outside the country. This new connection is just the beginning. I am convinced that we will soon start launching further connections on the German market – said Daniel Ryczek, member of the PKP CARGO management board for international affairs.
– We have been saying for years that more and more transport should be shifted from roads to rail. Now we are emphasizing this in the long term, making rail more competitive by implementing intelligent transport processes. This allows for ensuring appropriate quality, speed, and price, and furthermore, rail is more environmentally friendly than other means of transport. These are quite strong arguments. It pays off for the FIAT corporation and our Italian logistics partners Grimaldi, but also for our city of Etzin. This is happening for the good of Europe. Economic success benefits the environment and provides jobs both for the companies participating in this venture and for the regions – said Dr. Jörg Mosolf, CEO of the Mosolf Group.
With the commencement of the new regular transport services, two circuits have been created in Elstal/Wustermark. In the first, cars are transported (in two of the six trains per week) to Etzin, located 12 km away. There is the largest car transshipment and sorting center in the eastern part of Germany. From here, imported vehicles are distributed by road transport within Germany. In the second circuit, four of the six full-train sets per week are taken over in Elstal/Wustermark by a Belgian railway carrier, which organizes further direct transport to the terminal of MOSOLF’s partner in Antwerp – the Grimaldi company. This second, longer-existing circuit, on a route of approximately 1100 km, is an element of a logistics chain with a total length of over 1500 km. From Antwerp, the cars are further transported by ships via Grimaldi to Great Britain, Spain, or Morocco. In total, the “borderless” circuits and the new one-stop strategy implemented by PKP CARGO and MOSOLF significantly shorten the transit time between Tychy and Antwerp.