duisport invests in CargoBeamer - Partnership for shifting the transport of semi-trailers towards rail

Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) has acquired a stake in the rail technology company CargoBeamer AG which is based in Leipzig, Germany. Both companies are jointly committed to shift road freight traffic towards rail thanks to innovative logistics concepts.

"Those who want to relocate transport away from roads have to transfer semi-trailers towards rail. CargoBeamer therefore offers an excellent solution with its handling technology. It has developed a pioneering concept in environmentally friendly and sustainable mobility solutions”, emphasizes Erich Staake, chairman of the Duisburger Hafen AG. “I am glad that our shareholders have approved the investment in addition to the already existing and successful partnership.”

CargoBeamer: Digitally controlled and flexible in use!

The fully automatic system of CargoBeamer is primarily used for transporting all kinds of craneable and non-craneable semi-trailers by rail. It consists of special railway cars and handling terminals. During loading and unloading the semi-trailers are driven and parked in the pallets, which are then shifted horizontally and fully automatically into the waiting train. CargoBeamer enables the complete loading and unloading of a cargo train with up to 36 wagons in less than 20 minutes, while the process is completely digitalized. The CargoBeamer wagon technology is also fully compatible with typical cranes and reach stackers used in classic intermodal transport. Therefore nearly every existing intermodal terminal is able to handle CargoBeamer wagons. Customers such as freight forwarders bring their semi-trailers to the rail terminal from where they are transported to their destination by rail.

Moving semi-trailers towards rail

duisport has already started to expand its world-leading range of inland trimodal cargo handling with the first CargoBeamer trains. "In the future, our customers will get even more reliable and climate-friendly logistics chains - without burdening their vehicle fleet with high investments," says Erich Staake. The CargoBeamer system transport semi-trailers as well as typical intermodal units. The capacity of each train is 36 semi-trailers or 45-foot containers. Each semi-trailer can hold up to 26 tons of cargo.

New terminal and improved infrastructure

CargoBeamer and duisport are pursuing a vision for the future: Together both are working towards digitally automated handling for semi-trailers from road to rail. Combined with robotized warehouses and the electromobile distribution of goods on the “last mile”, an efficient European model for a sustainable transport network is to be created in the centre of North Rhine-Westphalia. A joint terminal project based on the CargoBeamer infrastructure will be an important component of this development. As part of this project, the new CBoXX technology from CargoBeamer is to be integrated directly. The high-volume rail container can be loaded and unloaded autonomously in the terminal. Thus, a high-performance offer for LTL / LCL volumes (freight quantities with piece sizes below an entire semi-trailer or container) can be brought to the market.

“We are very pleased to further strengthen our already successful strategic cooperation with duisport’s participation in CargoBeamer. duisport offers ideal conditions for expanding transport routes far into Asia in the future and, as the largest inland port in Europe, opens up enormous potential for connections throughout the world. duisport shares CargoBeamers vision of drastically increasing rail freight transport with innovative rail logistics”, explains Robert Osterrieth, chairman of the supervisory board of CargoBeamer AG.

To this day around 30 percent of the entire trade between china and Europe runs through the port of Duisburg. Every week 50 to 60 trains connect duisport and around 20 destinations in China.

Background information

About duisport:

Duisburger Hafen AG owns and manages the Port of Duisburg, the world's largest inland port. For this port and logistics location, the duisport Group offers full service packages in the area of infra- and superstructure, including relocation management. In addition, the subsidiaries also provide logistics services, such as the development and optimization of transport and logistics chains, rail freight services, building management, contract and packing logistics. www.duisport.de

About CargoBeamer:

The CargoBeamer Group is a logistics service provider in the “combined transportation road-rail segment” based in Leipzig, Germany. Thanks to the company's technology of rail cars, handling terminals and logistics software nearly all standard truck semi-trailers of all build types can use the train – without additional conversions and reinforcements for the tractor trailer and even without a driver and tractor unit. A first route between Kaldenkirchen at the German/Dutch border and Domodossola in northern Italy has been serviced by daily trains since 2015 and is fully utilized – more than 70,000 truck journeys through Germany and the Alps have been transferred to the environmentally-friendly railroad track to date. In the medium-term CargoBeamer will realize a European route-network of high-performing and innovative transhipment facilities at important transport hubs. This will secure sustainable rail-transport for hundreds of thousands of semi-trailers per year – reducing co2-emissions and relieving environment and society.
www.cargobeamer.com

Press contacts

Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport)

Thomas Hüser
Media officer
presse@duisport.de
Te.:+49 151 188 18 122

CargoBeamer AG

Tim Krause
Communications & Marketing Manager
presse@cargobeamer.com
Tel.: +49 341 652339-19