News / DHL GF opens new 'competence centres' as China-Europe rail traffic grows

DHL Global Forwarding has opened three new freight centres – in Le Havre, Felixstowe and Genoa – in response to increased demand for Asia-Europe container rail services.

In addition, it claimed it had introduced the “fastest rail service between China and Germany” with a new route between Xi’an in China and Hamburg and Neuss in Germany, in cooperation with Xi’an International Inland Port Investment & Development Group, cutting transit time from 17 days to 10-12.

“We’ve seen a substantial increase in rail freight volumes along the ‘New Silk Road’ from China to Europe and vice versa,” said Thomas Kowitzki, head of China Rail, Multimodal Europe, DHL Global Forwarding.

“Rail freight products are attractive due to their cost-effectiveness, short transit time and lower CO2 emissions, compared with other transport modes.

“Moreover, they require the real operational expertise that we bring to the table. We are happy to expand our European rail presence. With our growing number of dedicated Country Rail Competence Centres and cutting-edge rail services, we are offering the right portfolio of transport expertise and solutions for our customers, while their business between Europe and Asia continues to grow,” he added.

The new local rail centres are staffed with China Rail experts to advise customers and efficiently coordinate freight volumes, including less-than-container-load (LCL) and full-container-load volumes.

“In addition to freight handling, dedicated teams coordinate end-to-end transport processes from collection and export all the way to customs clearance and delivery by truck or combined rail transport to the final destination,” DHL added.

The company already operates four ‘regional rail competence centres’ in China and one in Poland. Its first dedicated ‘country competence centre’ was opened in Stuttgart in 2017.