Private railway operator LTG Cargo Polska, and freight wagon rental company Wascosa AG have signed a collaborative agreement. The parties say the deal will enhance their cooperation. The focus of the development is intermodal rail freight between Lithuania and Western Europe. This partnership will mainly use the transport corridor between Kaunas in Lithuania and Duisburg in Germany.
The agreement between LTG and Wascosa includes the delivery to LTG of 36 NiKRASA 3.0 adapters, which allow non-craneable semi-trailers to be loaded onto rail wagons quickly and easily, significantly improving the efficiency of intermodal transport. According to estimates by the leasing company, around 90% of Europe’s truck fleet is non-craneable. Wascosa further says that the NiKRASA system enables trailers to be loaded from road to rail in just two minutes without requiring changes to existing terminal or rail infrastructure.
A partnership to exploit key markets
“Germany is one of Lithuania’s largest trading partners, underscoring the importance of the Kaunas-Duisburg intermodal connection,” explained Wascosa in a formal statement. LTG Cargo Polska, which is a subsidiary of the Lithuanian rail freight company LTG Cargo, has a long-term strategy to strengthen its position as the Baltic States’ gateway to Western Europe. The company is actively engaged in expanding intermodal transport capability, not least for commercial advantage, but also to offer efficient and environmentally friendly logistics options.
“This innovation supports the growing demand for combined transport,” says Wascosa, the Swiss-established rail freight rolling stock company, currently celebrating its 60th anniversary year. “The cooperation also aligns with LTG Cargo’s broader sustainability strategy, which has already led to significant achievements: in 2023, intermodal shipments prevented 66,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions.”
Modal shift to rail
The NiKRASA system for trailer handling was developed by TX Logistics, a subsidiary of Mercitalia Group. The third and more flexible iteration of the system was released just over two years ago, At the time, Wascosa entered into a marketing deal, which ultimately saw the Swiss leasing company purchase 150 units.
Iris Hilb, CEO of Wascosa AG, is enthusiastic about the latest agreement with LTG. “Wascosa AG is equally committed to driving innovation in rail freight logistics,” she said. “The NiKRASA solution fits perfectly into our market strategy, providing value to customers while supporting the ongoing shift towards rail transport.