Schweizerzug Continues Expansion with More New Rail Services

Following the successful launch of new services in January, Schweizerzug AG is again increasing its train frequencies between Switzerland and Belgium to keep up with strong customer and market demand. The Swiss rail freight operator is adding one weekly roundtrip service between Frenkendorf (near Basel) to the Port of Antwerp – increasing weekly roundtrips from three to four – starting on February 2, 2019.

The latest addition to the Schweizerzug schedule will offer shippers in Switzerland and neighbouring countries not only more import / export capacity, but also more reliable and flexible transport options. Through Schweizerzug’s daily services between Frenkendorf and Niederglatt (near Zurich), shippers in eastern Switzerland benefit from a wider range of transport options.

With the previous round of expanded services at the start of the year, Schweizerzug successfully targeted and resolved cargo backlogs caused by low water levels on the Rhine during 2018 that saw cargo transport shift from ship to rail – resulting in capacity crunches for rail transport providers across Europe. The January introduction of more frequencies between both the Frenkendorf train terminal and Niederglatt to the Port of Antwerp also improved key performance factors for customers – including reliability, stability and punctuality.

“The newly added fourth roundtrip between Frenkendorf and Antwerp is in response to strong market demand from Switzerland to one of Europe’s busiest seaports,” notes Roman Mayer, CEO of Schweizerzug AG. “Our goal for 2019 is to continue the ongoing optimization of our services overall not only to meet – but exceed – customer expectations and market demand.”

Mayer adds that shippers in both Switzerland and neighboring regions will profit from Schweizerzug’s increasing roster of routes and frequencies from the heart of Europe to the continent’s busiest seaports of Antwerp and Rotterdam.

With the focus on making cargo transport ever more environmentally friendly and ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent emissions standards, rail transport will continue to play a vital role in the movement of goods across Europe and onward to international destinations. Over the course of 2019, Schweizerzug will be working with its partner companies, service providers and customers to continue fine tuning its best practices and operational quality.

The Schweizerzug network offers fast and reliable connectivity to the Port of Antwerp, and feeds into the Antwerp Gateway 1700 terminal, which is operated by DP World. The Antwerp Gateway 1700 has connections to all of the terminals at the Port of Antwerp. Alongside direct services to the Port of Antwerp, Schweizerzug offers three scheduled services per week via the German hub in Neuss to the Port of Rotterdam as well as the Port of Antwerp. From Neuss onward, shippers have the option to connect with both ports via both inland ship and rail.

The latest schedule update is available for download at www.schweizerzug.com.