As a measure to improve the efficiency of the port hinterland traffic on the rail from and to Austria, a program is being prepared in the seaport of Antwerp for a more cost-effective and improved handling of the last mile transport. This is enabled by a railway hub for operators in the port area, offering high-frequency and fully loaded connections to the individual container terminals. The project is to be implemented by the beginning of 2018 with the support of the Flemish Region.
“Until now the operators had to call multiple terminals, which increased their transport costs,” Katarina Stancova, Advisor Hinterland & Intermodality Port of Antwerp, and Walter Holzhammer, Head of the Port of Antwerp representative offices for Austria and Hungary, explained to a group of visitors from Austria last week. This is why the last mile is not yet as optimal as it should be.
The hinterland traffic by rail could be stimulated by the increasing number of regular shipping services with Antwerp as their first & last port of call. At present there are regular rail transports for conventional and maritime cargoes to and from Vienna, Linz, Wels and Graz. Doubling this services to and from Austria was the next target, Stancova and Holzhammer disclosed in Antwerp.
