At the Turkish-Bulgarian border, trucks are currently waiting approximately four to six days for clearance. Reconstruction work and a shortage of road transit permits are adding to the pressure, and current estimates suggest that the situation is unlikely to improve significantly by the end of the year.
For companies transporting goods between Central Europe and Türkiye, these conditions make delivery schedules harder to predict. cargo-partner offers intermodal transport as an alternative to conventional full truckload (FTL) services, using rail for the main leg of the journey and road transport for collection and delivery.
“With current border delays, it is important to have more than one transport option available. Intermodal transport can help companies reduce their reliance on congested road corridors and plan shipments between Central Europe and Türkiye more effectively. For example, terminal-to-terminal transit times currently range from seven to ten days from Türkiye to Slovakia and Hungary, and from eight to twelve days from Türkiye to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland,” said Vladislav Kovačovský, Regional Product Manager Intermodal CEE.
Intermodal connections across Central Europe
cargo-partner’s intermodal services are available for shipments to and from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Türkiye. The services use 45-foot containers, offering the same pallet loading capacity as a standard truck and thus allowing goods to move between transport modes without being reloaded.
Routes and transport modes are selected according to each shipment’s requirements, available capacity and schedule. Intermodal transport can be particularly suitable for routes longer than 1,000 km and for regular shipments when companies are looking for an alternative to road-only transport.
Cost efficiency and lower emissions
Using rail for the main leg can offer benefits in cost efficiency and capacity, as well as reduce emissions. Depending on the route and calculation methodology, intermodal transport can achieve up to 80% lower CO₂ emissions than conventional freight transport solutions.
Intermodal transport can also help reduce supply chains’ reliance on road transport amid driver shortages and congestion on European roads. It gives companies another way to plan deliveries when road corridors face significant constraints.
