New "Moscovite" Container Connection up and running between Duisburg and Moscow

St. Petersburg/Berlin - A new container connection linking Duisburg and Moscow has been in operation for just under a month. The Moscovite line - the first direct scheduled train of its kind - travels between Germany and Russia once a week during this initial phase. It covers roughly 2,200 kilometers in seven days.

“We passed the test run with flying colors,” said Dr. Karl-Friedrich Rausch, Member of the Management Board of DB Mobility Logistics AG, responsible for Transportation and Logistics, today in informal talks at the Global Rail Freight Conference in St. Petersburg. “We have seen an increase in customer demand for logistics services on this route. We are the first company to offer a scheduled direct container train from central Germany to the Russian capital. Together with our partners, we are doing our utmost to convince our customers of the advantages of the new rail link through excellent quality and a high level of safety.”

The train is operated by Trans Eurasia Logistics (TEL) GmbH, a joint venture founded in 2008 by partners Deutsche Bahn and Russian Railways (RZD) as well as Polzug, Kombiverkehr and TransContainer. DB and RZD each have a 30 percent share in the joint venture.

“Our joint venture aims to offer container transport logistics solutions between Western Europe and Russia from a single source, reinforcing rail freight transport on this important European corridor and increasing its efficiency,” said Dr. Alexander Hedderich, CEO of DB Schenker Rail.

The freight transported on the first trains included electronics and chemical products. The new Moscovite link features train monitoring along the entire route, container handling at the departure and arrival terminals, pre-carriage and onward carriage service, and container provision. The combined CIM-SMGS consignment note is used for direct transport, ensuring quick customs clearance. Containers are transferred to the Russian broad gauge track in Brest, on the Polish-Belarusian border.

The train’s ecological footprint is also impressive. Rail transport emits around 24 grams of CO2 per metric ton-kilometer, two-thirds less than emissions from a truck transport along this route.