On 6 September 2022, a container train from Ostrava, Czech Republic arrived for the first time at the Polish container shipping terminal DCT Gdansk (DCT). This would be German operator, METRANS’s first of many trips to DCT. The train is scheduled to run three times a week, with arrivals at DCT every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Ostrava is the closest port for parts of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and connects to the METRANS network. For DCT this new train connection means that their partners and customers can be offered more cost-competitive and ecologically-friendly options to move their cargo to and fro between the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

In addition, the new service will for the first time deploy 750m-long trains (instead of the usual 650m) which raises carrying capacity by 15% per train.

DCT is a container shipping terminal with one of the largest rail facilities in Europe. After its rail expansion from four to seven 750m-long tracks in 2021, the terminal currently has an annual rail capacity of 750,000 TEUs. For DCT, the cooperation with METRANS will create diverse growth opportunities in landlocked markets in Central Europe and ensure an economical, cutting-edge alternative for DCT’s customers. For certain industrial areas in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, DCT is the closest seaport, which means customers who want to ship to Asia or the Americas will have lower intermodal costs by switching to the new METRANS rail service.

METRANS is one of the market leaders in intermodal transport, connecting major sea cargo hubs such as the North Sea and Adriatic ports and rail hubs with inland Europe. Linking DCT Gdansk with its high-quality services and growing capacity, to the synergies of METRANS intermodal terminals and trains will significantly improve the logistics in the European region, which is crucial in the times of ongoing high-demand.

CEO of DCT Gdansk Charles Baker is very pleased with the new partnership between DCT and METRANS. “With this new rail link, we now have a regular direct connection between one of the key Czech industrial regions and the biggest container terminal on the Baltic Sea. This cooperation will definitely bring added value to DCT Gdansk and METRANS, as well as to the economies of our countries.”