As part of Connect Operator service, PKP Cargo Connect launched new regular rail services between Poland, Italy and at the border with Belarus.
The operator will provide transport services on the Gdańsk – Gliwice – Piacenza (Italy, in Emilia Romagna region), Małaszewicze / Brest – Gliwice – Piacenza and Małaszewicze / Brest – Gliwice – Gdańsk routes which are expected to be expanded.
The entire route from Gdańsk to Piacenza or from Małaszewicz to Piacenza will be covered within three days, which is a significant reduction in travel time compared to conventional trains.
The train services will be provided three times per week with a fix schedules and dates. The destinations were selected due to market conditions. Gdańsk is the largest container port at the Baltic Sea, while Małaszewicze is the main transhipment hub for train running along the New Silk Road between China and the European Union.
All clients will have access to the train services which also include the provision of container transport by truck from the terminal to the cargo recipients. “The main idea and advantage of the train services is that they have a fixed day and time of departure from the starting station and arrival at the destination. In this way, the customers know when the cargo is loaded, sent and arrives at the destination,” Czesław Warsewicz, the President of PKP Cargo said.
In the following months, the network of operator trains is planned to be expanded. It will also include connections between the ports of Gdańsk and Gdynia and PKP Cargo Connect terminals in Warsaw and Poznań. The warehouses will also be directed to other PKP Cargo Group terminals located in Poland and abroad. The cooperation with terminals belonging to external entities is also possible. At the same time, the frequency of Connect Operator trains will increase.
“Developing these services is a response to the market demand, because many companies want to use the railway transport, but they expect a better market offer from us and we want to answer their needs. Operator trains therefore increase the attractiveness of rail as a means of transporting goods,” Czesław Warsewicz explained.
The trains will cover the route between Gdańsk and Warsaw or Poznań in 8 hours, and from Gdańsk to Gliwice in 10 hours, but it is possible to shorten the train travel time.
The Connect Operator services is part of PKP Cargo’s development strategy to provide more intermodal connections and to strengthen the position of the operator on the logistics market. The intermodal services of PKP Cargo have doubled compared to 5 years ago and currently represent 15% of its transport activities.
PKP Cargo Connect is part of PKP Cargo Group and is specialised in railway and road forwarding in Poland and on transit routes. The operator delivers over 40,000 orders from almost every economic sector every year. The company has its own logistics infrastructure comprising of 12 branch offices across Poland and 4 handling terminals and depots located in the eastern part of the country, near the border with Ukraine and Belarus. PKP CARGO Connect operates five handling terminals in Central and Southern Poland, as well as 18 customs agencies across the country.
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