Additional rail freight traffic on the German network due to the current low water situation on the Rhine can be organised within the framework of existing operational processes, DB Cargo has told RailFreight.com. “As a result, there are currently no restrictions to rail operations, a spokesperson for the company said.
Rail infrastructure manager DB InfraGO coordinates around 50,000 train movements on the German rail network every day, including approximately 4,500 freight train movements, the spokesperson added. At the end of last week, DB Cargo announced that around 400 additional wagons could be made available at short notice to support freight transport across various industries hampered by low water levels on Europes biggest inland waterway for trade.
This drew a response from German rail passenger association, PRO BAHN who said that while it welcomed the shift in freight traffic from barge to rail, this shouldn’t result in putting restrictions on passenger services. “More freight on the railways: yes. Fewer trains for passengers: no,” Lukas Iffländer, national chairman of PRO BAHN, emphasised.
“Regional and long-distance services must not be reduced or become less reliable. Anyone who allows freight and passenger services to compete for the same scarce train paths has delayed expansion for too long,” he added. The DB Cargo spokesperson did not disclose how many of the 400 additional freight wagons have been deployed, nor the routes they are operating and the type of freight they are carrying.