DB Schenker Rail is to strengthen rail freight services between Poland and the UK with the planned introduction this September of a second weekly service between the two countries. The announcement was made during a reception at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, on Thursday 09 February, held to promote enhanced rail freight trading links between Poland and the UK. 

The doubling of train capacity demonstrates that DB Schenker Rail has been successful in developing a new rail freight corridor across Europe between Poland and the UK.  Further services are forecast to be introduced with the objective of operating five freight trains per week between the two countries being achieved during 2013.

Speaking to an audience of potential users of rail freight services from Poland to the UK, Alexander Hedderich, Chief Executive of DB Schenker Rail, said:  “DB Schenker Rail is a pan-European rail freight operator and the strengthening of our services between Poland and the UK clearly illustrates the success our strategy for European rail freight growth is having.  Through effective trading corridors such as this one we are able to provide customers with the economic and environmental solutions that enable their use of rail freight to increase.”

The additional train service, which operates from Wroclaw in Poland to Barking near London in the UK, will remove 3,700 lorry movements and over 135,000 lorry kms per annum from Europe’s road network.  The first service, which was introduced during November 2011, has operated on-time since its introduction.

This train will also become the second regular rail freight service to use the High Speed 1 rail route, the only European sized railway in the UK. As such, the train can be loaded with European sized curtain sided swap bodies, enabling greater volumes to be moved by rail and encouraging modal shift from road to railway.

Minister Counselor Boleslaw Gryzel, Head of the Trade & Investment Promotion Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, said:  “The Polish economy depends upon good trading routes with countries across Europe. The introduction of regular and reliable rail freight services from Poland to the UK has enhanced the trading route between both countries. The additional rail freight service will help support the development of Polish businesses as they secure additional trading opportunities with UK markets.”

Alain Thauvette, Chief Executive of DB Schenker Rail UK, said:  “The introduction of this second service from Poland to the UK will utilise DB Schenker Rail’s pan-European rail freight network, offering customers integrated logistics solutions across the whole of Europe, while removing 3,700 lorry movements from the road network.  By continuing to develop our service offering across Europe in areas where there is firm customer demand, we expect to increase further our use of the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1.  The European rail map for our customers in both Poland and the UK has got a little bit smaller.  We are confident that we can continue attracting further customers to this trading corridor to deliver our objective of five rail freight services per week departing Wroclaw for the UK.”