Lithuania’s rail freight operator LTG Cargo is extending its international routes and has started its first intermodal test service on Kaunas – Trieste route. The company intends to provide regular services to Italy.
“This type of connections allows us to remain efficient and competitive in freight transport services to Lithuanian and foreign customers and to shift freight transport from road to rail. We see potential in this direction and plan to offer our customers regular freight services to Italy,” Eglė Šimė, the CEO of LTG Cargo said.
The first intermodal test train is part of a memorandum of cooperation signed in September between LTC Cargo and Italian logistics companies, during the visit of the Minister of Transport Marius Skuodis in Trieste together with the Lithuanian delegation.
During the test run semi-trailers are transported first from Kaunas to Germany, from where they will be travelling with the assistance of logistics companies to Trieste.
“I’m delighted that the visit and the agreements reached in Italy have led to a quick result – a test run has been launched to the largest port of Trieste in Italy. The opening of a transport connection between Lithuania and Italy, where cargo flows from Turkey and other countries of the region travel through the port of Trieste in the direction of Scandinavia, acquires special significance for railway logistics in geographical context, by developing new, regular routes in Europe and extending geographic coverage of Lithuanian Railways (LTG) services,” the Minister of Transport said.
The Lithuanian company says that the intermodal cargo flows will be able to travel to both logistics centres in Northern Italy and through the country’s ports in the direction of Turkey and other surrounding countries.
The regular services on the Kaunas – Trieste route including the Cervignano intermodal terminal are expected to run twice a week.
The Italian route is being expanded further to Europe, as continuation to the Kaunas – Duisburg intermodal route becoming the backbone of sustainable international transport. The Amber Train project to connect Kaunas and Tallinn will become a continuation of this route in the Baltic market. This is expected to result in a continuous increase in cargo and expansion of the network of international connections.
In July 2021, Lithuania has inaugurated the Kaunas intermodal terminal (KIT) allowing regular services following a successful train test travelling from Kaldenkirchen, Germany, to Šeštokai, in southern Lithuania.
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