Project group aims to increase rail volumes at port of Antwerp

Project group aims to increase rail volumes at port of Antwerp    The Antwerp Port Authority and terminal operators PSA-HNN and P&O Ports have established a project group to increase rail transport to and from the Belgium port.
   The Antwerp Intermodal Solutions (AIS) project is a platform for carriers, agents, logistics service providers and manufacturers to discuss the possibilities of combining volumes that would feed new rail shuttles serving four regions beyond the borders of Belgium, namely North Rhine Westphalia, Central Germany, Bavaria and North-East France.
   “The rail operators in turn have developed proposals for intermodal solutions, and these are currently being studied by all the parties involved. The intention is to have at least some of the trains running this year already,” the authority said.
   At present, less than 10 percent of containers in Antwerp are carried by rail. “The lack of growth in rail transport is due among other things to a mismatch between supply and demand. On the demand side, control over consignments is still much too fragmented, which stands in the way of making up block trains to certain destinations.
   There are problems too on the supply side, with the prospect of deregulation leading to a shakeup of the market,” the authority said.
   “There is a clear need for Antwerp’s shipping container volumes to be concentrated in the port, and for incentives to be offered for rail operators to offer intermodal solutions connecting the port of Antwerp to its hinterland. At the same time it is equally essential for volumes to be concentrated efficiently for distribution by rail inside the port.”