It takes two to tango
Expanded range of services on Rhine routes. The choice between rail or inland barge is sometimes limited by non-availability. Now Birsterminal has increased services for each mode of transport for 2024.
Capacity bottlenecks on the river Rhine no longer seem to be an issue these days. And yet demand in the Upper Rhine valley has prompted Birsterminal to expand its range of services both on the waterways and on land.
“Since the beginning of this year we’ve offered a second mid-week inland shipping departure,” as Martin Ticks, the chief executive officer of Birsterminal, told the ITJ recently. The background to the development is the deployment, in cooperation with another provider, of a second push-barge combination that has headed north from Birsterminal every fortnight since 1 January (Tuesdays).
Ticks explained that the service has “excellent low-water capabilities” that are in line with the tried and tested principles of the Tango Shipping Line, and that it calls at “every important terminal in the western ports.” Birsterminal offers exporters and importers six direct weekly connections to and from Antwerp and Rotterdam.
These services have also recently been supplemented by a railway option. “Also offering rail solutions adds more departures,” Ticks said of the Tango Rail Line, which resumed operations late in October 2023.
Together with its partner CFL, Birsterminal offers two round trips to the western ports a week. The Luxembourgian partner has already proven itself in critical times, as Ticks commented with satisfaction, “We saw this when there were strikes on the French banks of the river.”
From barge to train – or vice versa
He also underlined the fact that Birsterminal “now offers a very broad range of connections.” Since it’s already strongly positioned for Swiss exports, Ticks has ascertained a great potential for imports. “Our clients also have all the options to switch between modes.”
Ticks is optimistic for 2024 as well, after Birsterminal surpassed its figures for 2022 in 2023. “Many customers have repeatedly relied on our expertise over the years, for example in stuffing and stripping.” On top of this the fact that many customers have now settled in the new industrial and logistics park has also had an impact.