Rail intermodal transportation is one of the most frequently chosen forms of land transportation – it is cheaper from air and faster than sea solutions. The benefits behind it make GOPET’s Clients more and more willing to use these services. Let us introduce you to it.
Intermodal transportation is a combination of two or more modes of transport with one loading unit along the entire route, e.g., a container or swap body. Is takes place without reloading of the goods when changing the type of transportation – if the goods began their journey in a container, they must complete the rest of the transport in the same container.
Therefore, there is less risk of damage to the goods during loading, handling and unloading. In practice, it most often consists on combining road and rail transport. Thanks to this solution, it is used as a means of reducing environmental pollution and relieving roads and highways. It fits perfectly into the philosophy of our business – it creates a green alternative to other transport services. It helps to reduce CO2 emissions and relieves crowded road routes. We believe that the combination of road and rail transport is a green solution for a sustainable future. In addition, container transport allows you to transfer various types of freight – from general cargo to large-size loads. Up to 26 tons of goods can be transported in containers, which makes it a weight-optimal solution compared to the transport with a standard semi-trailer, where the overall weight of the tractor unit and a semi-trailer must not exceed 40 tons.
GOPET has its own fleet with over 200 intermodal units, consisting of 45’PWHC containers and P400 Tilt Trailers. Some technical data:
P400 trailer
- Internal height – 2800 mm
- Internal width – 2480 mm
- Internal length – 13620 mm
- Door opening height – 2700 mm
- Side loading height – 2700 mm
45’ Pallet Wide High Cube Container – loading capacity of 33 euro pallets
- Internal height: 2670 mm
- Internal width: 2410 mm
- Internal length: 13,530 mm
- Door opening height: 2570 mm
- Door opening width: 2410 mm
We connect Europe with our own fleet. We connect the South with the West and the East. We connect the Balkans, including Romania and Bulgaria, with UK, Benelux, Northern France and Western Germany. We have regular rail set-ups with daily departures: Oradea (RO) <> Zeebrugge (BE), and Curtici (RO) <> Köln (DE) <>Genk (BE) and <>Hull (UK). We also have the in-house expertise in developing additional setups if steady volume and long-term commitment. One of those on-demand setups is Stara Zagora (BG) <> Duisburg (DE) and Oradea (RO) <> Lodz (PL).
To sum it up, transportation of goods using various modes of transport, in certain situations can significantly reduce costs and the emission of harmful substances. The greatest benefits of intermodal solutions are:
- traffic regularity = rail scheduling makes projecting delivery time very reliable
- facilitation of ADR transports (dangerous goods) – transport documentation is simplified
- weight capacity = delivery of large volumes of goods is possible
- environmentally friendly = electrified rail transport does not produce CO2 emissions
- all weather delivery = it is possible to deliver goods in almost all-weather conditions
Depending on our Client’s needs, they are assured of our flexibility in choosing the best possible type of transportation. We pay special attention to determining which requirements are crucial for our Clients. Whether it is time and cost of transport, or the amount of freight transported. Ships transport large amounts of goods but have a poor CO2 balance. Trucks are not limited by timetables or similar top-down restrictions but are needed in greater numbers due to their low load capacity. They are also a particular burden for road traffic and they are involved in road accidents relatively often. Planes earn points for long-distance delivery times but their payload is limited and air freight is subject to time-consuming checks. Rail transports large amounts of goods in a relatively energy-efficient manner but uses a less extensive rail network. It can be cost-competitive because it is not prone to seasonality (prices are not driven by season) and freight transport is relatively safe due to a lower risk of theft.
Intermodal transport in the EU – contact us and choose the most suitable type of transportation.
Our specialists are very happy to assist you.