Logistics concept for the OEM freight liner train Rostock-Saxony/Czech Republic

The concept of the freight liner train allows to combine a wide variety of customers, goods and transport concepts to achieve a competitive offer for shipping by rail, which on the one hand supports the shift of freight from road to rail, and on the other hand avoids weak points in the rail freight transport offer.

The approach pursued within the pilot action essentially consists of the combination of existing services of wagonload and intermodal transport, creating new potentials for rail freight transport along the Orient/East-Med corridor between Rostock Port, Saxony and the Czech Republic. Additionally, new opportunities have been investigated to interlink the Czech-Saxon inland ports and further logistics centres in the region with transnational transport flows operated along the corridor.

After launch of the pilot action, a working group of railway operators and logistics centres was established to support the elaboration and the testing of the logistics concept. During regular meetings, the members of the working group jointly observed and evaluated the market, analysed potential quantities, inquired potential customers and established contacts with further transport service providers.

Besides the Czech-Saxon inland ports and Rostock Port, cooperation took place with associated partners such as LINEAS, Stena Lines and VTG Rail Logistics. In parallel, the flow of goods and the market potential for selected goods and types of goods, destinations and intermodal hubs were analysed, leading to the following outputs:

  1. A comprehensive analysis of goods flows, customers, locations and transport offers of rail freight transport for the catchment area of the OEM freight liner train,
  2. a logistics concept for the OEM freight liner train between the Czech Republic, Saxony and Rostock Port,
  3. testing of new transport services between the Czech Republic/Saxony and Rostock Port.


In the result of the pilot action, a new intermodal service for craneable semi-trailers between Dresden and Rostock Port was established in cooperation with the intermodal transport operator LKW WALTER. Test operation started in January 2021 with five round trips per week. A second phase of testing was launched in September 2021 with an intermodal service between Dresden and Curtici (Romania) with two weekly round trips. Both new intermodal train services, i.e. Dresden-Rostock and Dresden-Curtici, have left the testing phase and have been transferred into regular operation.

Back to main page