Optimodal has considerably expanded its rail shuttle between Rotterdam and Neuss from seven to eleven weekly return trips. ‘The combination of Rotterdam as sea port and Neuss as turning point for logistics flows from and to many European destinations enables us to provide a very efficient and green route’, stated Karsten Scheidhauer, Managing Director of Optimodal Nederland.
Neuss is located in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia; opposite Düsseldorf on the left bank of the Rhine. According to Scheidhauer, the increased demand is due to the German city’s central location and the good connections this creates between Rotterdam and continental Europe. ‘Our partner Schweizerzug offers three trains a week to and from Frenkendorf/Basel, for instance. But you also arrive in Vienna, Budapest, Graz and Gallarate from Neuss in just thirteen hours. And, starting in January 2019, we can complete the Munich-Rotterdam route via Neuss in a total of eleven hours.’
Twenty
The ultimate goal for the ‘Qurinus Express’-shuttle, named after the patron of the army camp of Roman origin, is twenty return trips per week. Scheidhauer: ‘This would enable us to run a daily train between Neuss and each of the container terminals on Maasvlakte.’
‘Neuss is a fantastic example of our high frequency connections with the German and European hinterland’, stated Matthijs van Doorn, Port of Rotterdam Authority Logistics Manager. ‘You can choose between three options: rail, inland shipping and truck. Ultimately the client is the winner. Rotterdam offers real synchromodal solutions, in which the importance of rail seems to be ever-increasing. We are delighted that Optimodal has made such a clear choice for Rotterdam!’
