After Istanbul, Varna, Constanta: RailBridge Cargo opens 4th Southern Railroute

In response to the growing demand for Euriasian traffic via the Middle Corridor, RailBridge Cargo has added a fourth option to its portfolio in three months time. It is offering space on the blocktrain that enters Europe via Romania, with the end destination being Duisburg. 

The multimodal journey departs from Chengdu and connects by rail to the Kazakh port of Aktau. Here, it crosses the Caspian Sea to Baku, for another train ride to the port of Poti. From this Georgian port, vessels take the cargo to the port of Constanta in Romania. 

Avoiding Russia and Belarus

It is the fourth route the Dutch logistics company offers since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Right from the beginning, the company took a stance and reported that it would avoid Russia and Belarus in its transport between Asia and Europe. 

Three routes

The first route it launched was via Istanbul, crossing only the Caspian Sea and from Baku overland to Turkey. This service, which is still up and running, has as a departure point Xi’an and Zhengzhou, and Duisburg as a destination. 

The second route it offered was via the Bulgarian port of Varna. At that time, the company explained that congestion at the port of Constanta was the reason for the choice for the Bulgarian route. The port of Constanta was at that point heavily used for transport from Ukraine. This was also a point of concern for insurance companies, the Bulgarian route was not. 

More demand for alternatives

With the growing demand, there was more than enough reason for a third route, explained RailBridge Cargo. “Most companies today want to avoid Russia and Belarus due to ethical reasons or financial and logistics risks. With this alternative, you can still benefit from rail logistics and avoid Russia and Belarus.

Their third route offers two departures per week from Chengdu to Duisburg and Hamburg. They have found a solution to overcome the congestion in Baku, which decreased their transit time from 39 – 41 days to 31 – 33 days. This September they expect that transit times will decrease even more, with 4 days due to the extra ferry capacity.

Creative intermodal solution

Because there is huge demand for alternatives solutions Rail bridge cargo offers a 4th Southern rail option from Xian to Duisburg, within total 25 days. The last miles from Baku will go by truck.

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