Nitra, Slovakia. 19 double-deck wagons from DB Cargo are loaded with Defender and Discovery models at the JLR plant. They form one of eight block trains that run every week from here to the major North Sea ports in Belgium. The freight train now has around 1,300 kilometres and three national borders ahead of it. The entire logistics chain is managed by DB Cargo Logistics, a subsidiary of DB Cargo.
Resilient logistics for important export volumes
JLR and DB Cargo have been working together closely to transport finished vehicles since the automotive plant in Nitra opened in 2018. It is here that the successful Defender and Discovery models are produced. Most of the vehicles are destined for export to Great Britain or other overseas destinations. This requires smooth and efficient transport from Nitra to the western North Sea ports. A resilient logistics strategy was developed at an early stage, before being prolonged with a number of improvements in 2023.
After loading at the factory, the trains start their journey through Slovakia, Austria and Germany. Seven out of eight trains run straight through to the Belgian ports, while the other heads for the trimodal car terminal in Neuss, Germany. The finished vehicles are parked there until there is free capacity at the ports, to which they are then transported by lorry or barge. This makes the logistics chain more flexible.
After a journey of 1,300 km, the SUVs arrive at the port of Zeebrugge.
DB Cargo Logistics has everything under control
To transport the vehicles, DB Cargo combines its traction power resources with those of other RUs in the respective countries. Added to this is the last-mile lorry or barge transport from Neuss, which is carried out with trusted logistics partners. DB Cargo Logistics pulls all the strings. "Our dispatchers monitor every single train throughout the entire journey," says account manager Sarah Yasmin Remus. "This allows us to detect any problems in real time and respond promptly. Daily dialogue at an operational level between the customer, the RUs and ourselves makes coordination easier." Fellow account manager Jonas Emmerich adds: "This also lets us eliminate structural problems in order to continuously improve the process. We reduced the transport time between Bratislava and Zeebrugge at the turn of the year, for example, by switching to a multi-system locomotive."
Efficient transport with customised freight wagons
Rail offers clear advantages for JLR compared to other transport options. The block trains can transport around 1,600 new cars to the seaports within a week. The wagons used include double-deck wagons, which were developed by DB Cargo a few years ago specifically for transporting JLR's SUVs and are designed for particularly large and heavy vehicles. Around 200 SUVs fit on a single train. Rail is also a very safe and environmentally friendly way of transporting cars. Between January and March 2024 alone, 4,000 tonnes of CO2e were avoided compared to pure road transport.
11 Defenders from JLR fit on a Laaeffrs 561 car carrier wagon.
This successful arrangement is now set to continue for at least another three years. But for Sarah Yasmin Remus and Jonas Emmerich, this does not mean that they can put their feet up: "The logistics team at JLR is highly motivated and always interested in innovative logistics. We are constantly working with them on ideas to expand and improve our transport services." The stage is set for this successful partnership to continue.
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