A lack of commercial operators hinders the development of intermodal routes in the Baltics, according to Dutch logistics company Samskip. The company would like to create an extended rail link to rail for its new shortsea service to Klaipeda, but the absence of commercially operated intermodal routes proves to be a major hindrance. However, the EU-sponsored Rail Baltica could provide opportunities for intermodal development.
Answering questions to RailFreight.com, Samskip pointed out that a shortsea-rail intermodal connection in Klaipeda would be desirable. Its new shortsea service connects the UK and the Netherlands with Latvia, Finland, and the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda.
The company already offers a rail service between Duisburg and Lithuanian Kaunas, which the company calls a ‘good alternative to road transport’. However, Samskip laments the fact that there is no operator that provides a financially interesting inland rail connection from Klaipeda as an alternative to other modalities.
Lack of commercial operators
At the moment, an intermodal rail connection from Klaipeda port is not always financially interesting, says Samskip. The company points to the lack of commercial operators as the culprit. “There is an insufficient number of commercially-minded operators in the region,” the Dutch logistics company says. Consequently, rail connectivity to Baltic ports is lacking, which provides an obstacle to intermodality.
Commercially minded operators are needed because the currently present state-owned operators do not provide interesting alternatives to different modalities. State-owned operators are widely considered to operate inefficiently. For example, state-owned companies Fret SNCF and DB Cargo have both been subject to EU reprisals over excessive state support following bad financial performance.
Rail Baltica
Rail Baltica may provide an impetus to improvement in the Baltics, according to Samskip. The EU-sponsored rail project aims to connect the three Baltic states with the rest of Europe on the standard European gauge TEN-T network. Currently, the existing Baltic railway infrastructure is oriented towards Russia, and the Baltic networks are badly interconnected because they were built during Russia’s rule in the area.
Rail Baltica would provide improved inter-Baltic connectivity and a high-speed line to the rest of Europe. ‘It could attract commercial operators,’ says Samskip. ‘That would be a very positive development for rail. Rail Baltica is planned to go through Kaunas, and a commercially viable route could then be extended towards the port of Klaipeda.’
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