{"id":541913,"date":"2026-09-16T19:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T09:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=74346"},"modified":"2026-09-16T19:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T09:01:39","slug":"hapag-lloyd-relies-on-rail-freight-amid-rhine-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=541913","title":{"rendered":"Hapag-Lloyd relies on rail freight amid Rhine drought"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd has joined the group of companies choosing to use rail freight while the water levels on the Rhine continue to hamper barge transport. The company will implement a new connection between Rotterdam and Germersheim, near Mannheim, starting this weekend.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The first train will leave Germersheim on Friday 18 September and reach Europe\u2019s largest port the following day. The return trip is scheduled for Saturday 19 September, with arrival in Germany expected for Monday 21 September. Each train will have capacity for 88 TEUs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe connection provides an alternative to our existing barge network and offers additional flexibility when planning inland transportation between Rotterdam and the Rhine region\u201d, Hapag-Lloyd said<\/a>. The service will remain in place until the end of 2026, the company pointed out. After that, the water levels of the Rhine River should go back to more manageable levels.<\/p>\n

Rail to the rescue?<\/h2>\n

Hapag-Lloyd is not the first company looking to the railways amid this Rhine drought. German DB Cargo<\/a>, for example, recently said it could make 400 additional wagons available at short notice if needed while Kombiverkehr increased the frequency of its K\u00f6ln-Basel route. RheinCargo and Captrain<\/a>, on the other hand, added capacity for the transport of industrial goods, including coal and coke.<\/p>\n

Other big logistics players, however, seem to be struggling a bit more with the low water levels of Europe\u2019s most important river for trade. For example, DHL<\/a> and Contargo<\/a> underlined that shifting barge volumes to road and rail presents difficulties due to limited available capacity. In addition, MSC<\/a> introduced surcharges for truck, rail and rail-truck transport due to terminal congestion.<\/p>\n