{"id":99038,"date":"2024-08-01T20:39:16","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T10:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=55044"},"modified":"2024-08-01T20:39:16","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T10:39:16","slug":"maersk-to-apply-surcharges-due-to-rhine-valley-railway-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=99038","title":{"rendered":"Maersk to apply surcharges due to Rhine Valley railway closure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The line between Ranstatt and Baden-Baden, in southwestern Germany, will be closed for upgrade works between 9 and 30 August 2024. This is quite the thorn in the spine of the rail freight industry as it is one of the main lines connecting to the port of Rotterdam. Shipping giant Maersk, for example, said it will implement a surcharge for service to and from the Dutch port, as finding alternatives comes with higher costs.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The Rail Deviation Surcharge, as Maersk called it, will amount to an extra 55 euros per TEU and will apply to all rail bookings to and from Rotterdam while the Rhine Valle line is unavailable. The main justifications provided by the Danish company for the surcharge are reduced wagon capacity, alternative routing and increased costs for staff and rolling stock. Concerning the re-routing, trains will cross the German-French border via Worth instead of Kehl.<\/p>\n

Hupac leads the way<\/h2>\n

Maersk is not the only company looking for alternative routes due to the Rhine Valley line closure. A few days ago, Swiss operator Hupac<\/a> said it would introduce a new temporary route via the Offenburg-W\u00f6rth section. For this initiative, Hupac is cooperating with French and German infrastructure managers (SNCF R\u00e9seau and DB InfraGO) and Railway Undertakings SBB Cargo International and Captrain France. It is not yet clear if Maersk will take this same route or if this is a separate project.<\/p>\n