LTG Cargo to Transport Freight Between Lithuania and Germany Using New Specialized Wagons
LTG Cargo, the rail freight transport company of the LTG Group, has unveiled new wagons acquired by its subsidiary, LTG Cargo Polska. The 72 new so-called pocket wagons are designed for transporting semi-trailers on the European gauge (1,435 mm) from Kaunas to Duisburg (Germany).
“With a focus on strengthening westbound services, this investment is a logical and important step toward optimizing the rolling stock fleet. The company-owned wagons, purchased with support from the Polish National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), will enable the provision of reliable, sustainable, and efficient freight transport services on the international Kaunas–Łódź–Duisburg route,” emphasizes Eglė Šimė, Head of LTG Cargo. The new wagons will replace leased rolling stock and increase the operational efficiency of LTG Cargo Polska.
According to the head of the rail freight company, the investment in new rolling stock is also aimed at improving the customer experience – reliable, on-time shipments have the potential to free up capacity for more freight to be transported by rail to Western Europe.
The 72 new wagons were manufactured last year by the Bulgarian company Kolowag specifically for LTG Cargo Polska. These European-gauge railcars are specially adapted for intermodal transport – standard semi-trailers typically hauled by trucks can be quickly and easily loaded onto them without the need for special securing, so trains of pocket wagons carrying 36 semi-trailers can be loaded quickly and made ready for the journey.
LTG Cargo began transporting intermodal cargo on the Kaunas–Duisburg route in 2022, following the connection of the European (1,435 mm) gauge railway line, built in 2016, to the Kaunas intermodal terminal. Cargo is now transported three times a week on this route, which has been extended to include a stop in Łódź; the route is 1,520 km one way. LTG Cargo Polska provides traction for the majority of this route, which runs through Poland.
LTG Cargo Polska currently employs 130 people and operates a fleet of over 350 European-gauge railcars and 28 locomotives, including state-of-the-art Siemens locomotives capable of efficiently transporting cargo on international routes.
The freight transport company LTG Cargo is a member of the LTG Group and is currently pursuing active integration and expansion in Western Europe. The company provides freight transport, logistics and forwarding, freight loading, locomotive and railcar repair, and railcar leasing services in Lithuania and abroad. LTG Cargo has established and operates the companies LTG Cargo Polska in Poland and LTG Cargo Ukraine in Ukraine.