Medway, the rail branch of MSC subsidiary Medlog, is launching new services in France and Austria. The operator is primarily based in Spain and six other countries, but is now finding its way into new European markets.
Medway’s first-ever service in France ran between Caffiers and Dunkirk on 14 December, carrying out transport for a party in the steel industry. It will run 365 days per year, the company says, with each train carrying up to 3,600 tonnes of critical raw materials. That includes lime and limestone, which are brought to one of Europe’s largest steel production plants.
Austria to Trieste
On 17 December, Medway conducted its first operation in Austria, introducing a tri-weekly service that connects the cities of Linz of Wels to the Trieste port in Italy. This service “will be particularly beneficial to customers in the forestry, paper, pulp, automotive and retail sectors, which depend heavily on North-South cargo flows”, explains the rail operator. It is designed to integrate with Medlog’s existing intermodal network, which should help to ensure connectivity with other European hubs.
Medway was already active in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. It is the largest private operator on the Iberian peninsula, where it stands to take over part of the business of Renfe Mercancías through a joint venture.