German tri-modal operator Contargo is braced for significant disruption to its Rhine barge services in the coming days due to low water levels on the river. However, switching to rail is only a limited option because of a major rail works in Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine a company spokesperson told RailFreight.com.
Contargo’s teams are in ongoing “intensive discussions” with various railway companies, terminal operators, and other partners to develop and establish suitable alternative transport services to compensate for the disruption to inland waterway traffic.
“Our primary focus remains on maintaining connections between the seaports of Rotterdam and Antwerp and the Rhine hinterland, either by increasing the frequency of existing rail services or by introducing so-called bypass services. These bypass services bridge the Upper and Middle Rhine sections by rail.”
But securing spots on suitable diversion routes remains extremely challenging, the spokesperson underlined. Scheduled to last until the end of year, rail works in Germany have already reduced available capacity considerably.
Pessimistic forecast
Rapidly falling water levels at the gauges in Maxau, Kaub, Cologne and Duisburg, could force Contargo “to implement extensive operational measures at very short notice.” The spokesperson explained that once the Kaub gauge (on the Rhine) falls to around 25 cm, inland navigation is no longer possible.
According to the latest forecast by ELWIS (the Electronic Waterways Information Service of the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration), the Kaub gauge is expected to reach 24 cm by Wednesday, 29 July at 11:00 pm CET. If the current forecasts materialise, Contargo may have to temporarily suspend its regular inland waterway services to the Upper Rhine, Middle Rhine and Rhine-Main regions.
“At such low water levels, inland vessels can carry only a very limited proportion of their normal cargo capacity. Beyond a certain point, reliable and economically viable transport by inland vessel is no longer possible. Containers destined for these regions would then have to be transported primarily by rail or truck,” the spokesperson noted.
‘Alternative routes significantly longer’
“The standard diversion corridors (the left-bank Rhine line and the Siegerland route) are already operating at full capacity because they are handling traffic diverted as a result of the ongoing major refurbishment of the right-bank Rhine railway line.”
The remaining alternative routes are significantly longer (more than 200 km one-way) and require substantially more resources, including locomotive crews, locomotives and wagons. “As a result, our rail service providers are reaching the limits of their available resources, and train rotation concepts have to be redesigned accordingly,” the spokesperson added.
Wildfires update
Separately, in an update on the impact on rail freight from the massive wildfires raging in south-west France, DB Cargo France chief, Alexandre Gallo, has told RailFreight.com that the situation was unchanged on Tuesday. All trains, passenger and freight, going south from Bordeaux and vice versa are suspended until further notice, making it impossible to run the scheduled trains to Bayonne and all onward freight to Spain via the Atlantic coast.
DB Cargo France has to cancel five trains per day as a result of the wildfires which began last week. “There is no date set for the resumption of services at present. The state prefect’s order closing the line remains in force. Once it has been lifted, it will take at least 48 hours to reopen the line to traffic,” he said. “Trains are currently cancelled. We are planning additional services to clear the backlog. If the situation were to continue, we would then have to reroute trains via the Mediterranean corridor.”