GEODIS, an intermodal operator, has expanded its rail freight services with another fixed schedule connection between Poland and Spain.
As of 11 June, the freight train between Łódź and Barcelona was operable, representing the first direct rail connection between the two countries.
On the inaugural trip customers’ goods in 44 containers and/or swap bodies, each capable of carrying a payload of 26 tonnes set off from the freight terminal in Łódź, reaching Barcelona after just three days, from where ‘last mile’ distribution will take place by road.
Later on that day of arrival, the train returns to Poland with imported goods from Spain. Successive trains have also a capacity of 44 units, replacing the same amount of trucks that might otherwise be used.
Delivering goods on rail emits five times less CO2e than covering the same distance by road and is 12 times lower than the equivalent air transport, according to GEODIS. The rail link allows the delivery of as much as 1,000 tonnes of goods from various industries.
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The rail route between Łódź and Barcelona, although longer than the road journey by almost 160 kilometres, reduces CO2e emissions by up to 79 per cent. Moreover, energy consumption is around 57 per cent lower.
In the first stage of the development of this project, the schedule provides for one train per week, leaving Łódź every Tuesday. In the other direction, the train will depart from Barcelona on Fridays.
This new multimodal block-train is an addition to the existing GEODIS multimodal route network which operates nearly 120 trains a week throughout Europe.
“The launch of the new Łódź – Barcelona rail connection provides customers a large number of benefits, as it will enable punctual transportation of shipments, while considerably limiting CO2 emissions,” said Marc Vollet, Chief Operations Officer at GEODIS European Road Network.
“We have great ambitions for this new line, as we plan to increase the frequency to two trains per week in the near future.”
More recently, DP World has encouraged freight owners to transport their goods by rail from Southampton, targeting a 40 per cent rail freight share in 2026.