German HSL Logistik Adds Cross-Border Freight Trains, Hauling 4,000 Tonnes of Coal per Train

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 12, German rail freight operator HSL Logistik GmbH announced that since the end of October it has added transport services on the cross-border rail freight corridor from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to the Rhine-Neckar region in Germany, carrying coal, bulk commodities, liquid fuels and petroleum products. The coal trains use dual-locomotive traction, with a maximum payload of 4,000 tonnes per train, to help fill the capacity gap in inland waterway shipping caused by persistently low water levels on the Rhine and to maintain raw material supplies for industrial areas in southern Germany.

The new services connect the Netherlands with southern Germany and mainly target industrial and logistics customers that previously relied on inland waterway shipping on the Rhine. Due to low river water levels, inland vessels on some sections cannot operate at normal loading capacity, affecting bulk and fuel transport. HSL is absorbing part of the diverted cargo by adding rail freight services; in addition to coal, the cargo categories include other bulk goods, liquid fuels and petroleum products. The company said these transport arrangements are intended to offset part of the lost inland waterway capacity, not to fully replace Rhine shipping.

HSL has leased modern multi-voltage locomotives specifically for the new transport business. The locomotives hold cross-border operating permits between the Netherlands and Germany, allowing trains to run on the rail networks of both countries without changing traction locomotives at the border. Coal transport uses dual-locomotive traction, with a maximum payload of 4,000 tonnes per train.

The new services are initially scheduled to operate for 3 months. If low water levels on the Rhine persist and the market still requires alternative transport capacity, HSL can extend the service period by another 3 months.