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Dec 12 2023

‘Trains along Silk Road halved in 2023’, says DB Cargo Eurasia

Despite posting record figures in 2022, rail freight volumes along the New Silk Road for DB Cargo Eurasia decreased by around 50 per cent this year. According to Frank Erschkat, Senior Vice President of Intermodal Sales at DB Cargo, the drop was already visible within the first two to three months of 2023. The main causes behind this trend, Erschkat said, are to be identified in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a significant drop in sea freight rates.

A similar course was highlighted by Matthias Kirchgasser, CEO of Rail Cargo Operator, a subsidiary of Austrian Rail Cargo Group, who claimed that the industry is currently under a lot of pressure. For example, RCG is looking to increase services along the Middle Corridor, the infrastructure connecting China to Europe bypassing Russia. Both Erschkat’s and Kirchgasser’s statements were reported by German media DVZ during a Combined Transport Conference in Hamburg. Read more

 

Source: RAILFREIGHT.COM