MSC will launch a new direct rail service connecting Trieste, Italy and Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Available from 10 September 2021, the service will improve rail capacity and reduce transit time between Turkey and Germany to an estimated 12 days.
The intermodal solution offers an efficient route from Turkish ports – Istanbul, Tekirdag, Gemlik, Derince on the ADRIAKIA Service, and Mersin, Izmir (Aliaga) on the LINE D Service – to the Ludwigshafen industrial zone in Germany.
The service is designed to offer customers transporting auto-parts, chemicals, textiles, packaging, food, pharmaceuticals and other commodities expedited transit times between Turkey and Germany.
Ludwigshafen’s strategic position on the Rhine, with easy access to Frankfurt and Stuttgart and its importance as a centre for commerce, makes it an ideal location for both local goods distribution and access to the wider Northern European market, MSC said.
Trieste is an important Adriatic hub for both European and global trade, improving the case for the rail link to accelerate movement of goods to and from the continent.
Cem Kurtuldu, Business Development and Project Specialist for MSC Turkey, noted, “Space availability on existing rail services is limited compared to existing and potential volumes moving particularly from Turkey to Germany.
“This service will improve reliability for our customers and, thanks to MSC’s intermodal investments within Germany, we can provide an expedited and secure door-to-door service between the two destinations.”
The weekly service will depart from Trieste each Thursday, arriving in Ludwigshafen each Saturday.
Luca Russo, Trade Manager for the Adriatic Region for MSC, added, “Ludwigshafen has always been a popular destination for cargo from Turkey, as it is such an important industrial hub.
“While this service was created to support this vital connection between Germany and Turkey, our multimodal options from Trieste will also enable us to serve a wide range of origins and destinations both in the Mediterranean and for our global trade routes.”
