DB Cargo Full Load Solutions Nordics is organizing regular rail transport between southern Poland and Sweden using the rail ferry between Świnoujście and Ystad. The service allows for the transport of long rails, up to 120 meters in length, without additional transshipment.
DB Cargo FLS Nordics, part of TRANSA Spedition GmbH, has been transporting rails between southern Poland and Sweden for about a year for railway infrastructure projects in that country.
Services generally run once a week. A central element of the transport is the rail ferry, which departs daily in the early afternoon from Świnoujście in northwestern Poland and arrives in the evening at Ystad on the Baltic coast of southern Sweden.
The ferry has a capacity of approximately 540 meters of track, which allows it to carry nearly an entire freight train. The rails are picked up directly from the factory and transported by rail to their destination without additional transshipment.
Rails up to 120 meters
DB Cargo FLS points out that this solution makes transport more efficient and sustainable, reduces additional handling, and shortens transport times.
The biggest challenge with rails up to 120 meters lies in planning and securing the load. To ensure that track work can be carried out during scheduled closures, transport must be carefully planned and monitored, with delivery at a precise time.
Due to their length, the rails must be loaded simultaneously onto multiple railcars. DB Cargo FLS uses special securing devices to ensure the stability of the load during transport.
A concept revived after nearly ten years
The current solution is based on a familiar concept. After the rail ferry service was discontinued about ten years ago, the challenge was to bring the involved partners together and create a viable operational system for regular transport.
DB Cargo FLS is working on this project with Väte Rail, the shipping company Unity Line, and the ports involved. Close coordination among all parties enables the stable management of shipments with high requirements.
The ferry service is already being used to transport steel coils and scrap metal from Denmark and Sweden and is suitable for nearly all types of cargo.
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