P&O Ferrymasters and Erontrans Launch Poland-UK/Benelux Rail Link
13th June 2017
Pan-European supply chain provider P&O Ferrymasters has joined forces with leading Polish logistics company Erontrans to launch an intermodal rail service linking the UK, Benelux and central Poland via Europoort in Rotterdam.
In an integrated solution with P&O Ferries, the companies have selected Europoort-based LTE Netherlands as rail carrier for the service, which offers four trains per week each way between Europoort–Rotterdam and the CLIP terminal in Swarzedz-Poznan.
Capacity per departure is 36 trailers of up to 28 tonnes payload. The trains are purpose-designed for huckepack trailers but containers including 45’ PW units can be carried on request. Transit times are four days to/from the UK and two days for Benelux. Equipment to and from the UK will be transhipped from train to ferry and vice versa at the P&O Ferries terminal in Europoort.
Both P&O Ferrymasters and Erontrans are specialists in trade from and to Poland, and train capacity is shared equally between the two parties.
The partnership has been formed as a procurement alliance to optimise customer support for this specific service. The companies say that the dedicated train concept minimalises risk with a unique integrated transport package that offers high service standards, increased payloads, reduced CO2 emissions and pricing competitive with road haulage. They add that the arrangement provides in-house possibilities for onward shipping.
LTE is also experienced on Polish trade and was selected after a joint benchmarking process that confirmed the company’s proven track record, its high level of flexibility and its cost-effective pricing structure.