Eurogate is already well known for its trio of port terminal operations on the Baltic coast of Germany, and also for operating four more terminals around the Mediterranean. However, the Bremen-based operation would like to get better known for its land-based operations, trading under the names of driveMybox and railMybox.
Taking intermodal traffic further than ship to shore is the way that port operator Eurogate seeks to grow its business inland from the Hanseatic terminals it manages at Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven and Hamburg. Road and rail-based forwarding services, also managed by the company, mean that clients can have their containers moved inland, across most of Germany, and an outlying service to landlocked Budapest in Hungary.
CO2-neutral rail connections
Eurogate took a stand at the recent Intermodal Europe exhibition in Rotterdam to promote its intermodal service offering. All three of the company’s north German marine terminals are rail-served, and Eurogate is encouraging clients to forward their loads on its own trains. Branded “railMybox”, the company has a network of services that deliver boxes to terminals across Germany, and as far inland as Budapest in Hungary. “We are proud to offer 100% CO2-neutral rail connections as well as opportunities to offset trucking emissions,” said the company, which has also been eager to promote its green credentials on the quayside.
Eurogate explains that the rail service is fully “in-house” and staffed by their own crews. “When it comes to finding further innovative solutions to protect our environment, we’re going full steam ahead,” they say. All trains are dispatched behind modern electric traction, such as the workhorse Siemens Vectron locomotive. It’s a design that’s available with multiple traction options, including a bi-mode version (electric primary with diesel secondary) which can reach ‘last-mile’ destinations, including container terminals where overhead wiring is not practical. The company’s rail network has been in expansion mode for some time, with connections all over Germany and beyond, as reported in our sister service, RailFreight.com.
Rail complemented by driveMybox
The service is complemented by a road delivery service, branded as ‘driveMybox’. Eurogate explains that this service is branded (for visibility) but serviced by vetted third-party drivers. The company believes the arrangement better suits the ad-hoc nature of road deliveries to discrete locations. “We match transport capacity with demand online, and at a fixed price. We take full responsibility for every order,” says the company.
Both services depend on an online platform, which allows customers to manage their orders and track their deliveries in real time. While the road-based driveMybox is tailored to ads within Germany, the railMybox service is the subject of expansion. Routes connecting German terminals with Rotterdam have already been added. “At railMybox, we offer custom end-to-end solutions that bring together many different service components,” said the company.”We help customers lower emissions and increase savings.”