Baltic Rail Gate in Lübeck-Travemünde on Record Course

The rails in the Lübeck port are vibrating and the cranes are smoking. At the intermodal terminal, which is located directly at the Skandinavienkai, the LHG subsidiary Baltic Rail Gate (BRG) has already handled its hundred-thousandth container by mid-October. This is earlier than ever before! In the past two years, this milestone was reached in November.

(Lübeck) In 2019, the company broke this mark for the first time; in 2020, it succeeded again, despite interim setbacks due to Corona. Since the terminal opened in 2003, BRG has handled a total of around 1.5 million units. 2021 is expected to see a new annual record.

To meet the increasing volumes, BRG is initially expanding its shift operations. Already in spring, managing director Antje Falk established a night shift on a trial basis. “This not only increases the capacity of the facility but also improves quality. We can stagger schedules and serve additional ferry connections. This gives freight forwarders more flexibility when planning transports in the Baltic Sea region,” explains Antje Falk.

Tracks to be extended by 140 meters in 2022

In the long term, however, this is not enough. “The plans have been in place for a while; next year we will extend our six tracks by 140 meters. The work will be completed in 2023.” The equation is: longer tracks, longer trains, higher performance.

Currently, Baltic Rail Gate connects to German destinations such as Ludwigshafen, Duisburg, Herne, Hamburg, as well as Verona and Novara in Northern Italy. The intermodal terminal has around 50 departures weekly.

Photo: © Kombiverkehr