French shipping line CMA CGM has run its first container train to East-West Gate (EWG), the intermodal terminal in Fényeslitke near the Hungarian–Ukrainian border. The arrival follows the launch of Maersk’s container depot and dry port services at the site earlier this year.
The EWG terminal was originally designed to handle Belt and Road rail freight between China and Central and Eastern Europe via Ukraine, as it sits where the EU standard gauge meets the Russian broad one. It entered trial operations in early 2022 but, due to the war in Ukraine, the group had to look for new markets.
Now, the presence of two of the world’s largest container carriers suggests that search is paying off. According to EWG Group, other leading ocean carriers are also showing interest in the region.
Batteries in, grain out
Two developments are driving the new demand. Eastern Hungary’s fast-growing battery and electromobility industry generates significant inbound container volumes. Exports from the region, however, remain comparatively limited, leaving carriers with an equipment imbalance and rising costs to evacuate empty boxes.
Across the border, the war has disrupted Ukraine’s established agricultural export routes. This has sparked the trader’s growing interest in containerised alternatives to traditional bulk transport, particularly for grain and other agricultural commodities. EWG seeks to bring these two trends together by attracting shipping lines and agricultural exporters, aligning their complementary needs and turning a logistical imbalance into a mutually beneficial opportunity.”
Where the gauges meet
The group also positions itself as a commercial matchmaker. It coordinates the needs of ocean carriers, industrial shippers, agricultural exporters and freight forwarders, connecting freight flows that would otherwise rarely meet. According to EWG, this takes the terminal well beyond the traditional functions of an intermodal hub.
The ambition is to deepen partnerships with shipping lines and other stakeholders, turning Fényeslitke into a meeting point for maritime, continental intermodal and conventional rail freight. With the reopening of traditional Eurasian corridors still uncertain, the company says the terminal’s future no longer depends on it.
Spanning 850,000 square metres, East-West Gate is described by its owner as Europe’s largest inland intermodal terminal of its kind. EWG Group also includes railway undertaking EWG Rail, which operates 12 locomotives and more than 300 wagons, and customs broker EWG Customs Agency.