EUROPE: Lineas and FS Logistix have launched the Modalink joint venture to manage terminal operations at the Belgian port of Antwerpen, and are to develop intermodal connections to and from Italy.
The 70:30 joint venture of the privatised Belgian freight operator and the Italian state railway was officially launched on December 5 at Antwerpen’s Mainhub Terminal which it is managing. FS Logistix has said it may increase its stake to 49% over time.
The terminal has 200 000 m² of operational space, eight 700 m tracks, three gantry cranes, six straddle carriers and a capacity of up to 200 000 containers per year. Modalink will operate feeder services from and to the different quays in the port, and aims to optimise operations and expand intermodal capacity.
In addition to the launch of Modalink, Lineas and FS Logistix are co-operating to enhance services connecting the port with southern Europe. FS Logistix company Mercitalia Intermodal is providing five round trips a week between Antwerpen and Milano, with ‘seamless’ connections to Italian terminals including Pomezia, Marcianise and Catania. The initiative is expected to remove more than 13 000 lorries from the roads each year and avoid more than 46 000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Strong, smart, European link
‘Modalink is more than a partnership — it is a strong, smart, European link’, said Lineas CEO Erik Van Ockenburg. ‘With this joint venture, we combine infrastructure, expertise and ambition to create a terminal solution that is efficient, scalable and ready for Europe’s future.
’For Lineas, today marks a clear strategic milestone. The recent years, we have transformed our company, refocused on our core: being a railway undertaking, delivering reliable traction services and operating with discipline on both sides of the Rhein. With Modalink, we reinforce that direction.’
FS Logistix CEO Sabrina De Filippis said ‘terminals are essential to covering the entire logistics value chain with an intermodal approach. With our 30% stake in Modalink — and the long-term ambition it represents — we are strengthening connections, improving network resilience and developing new business opportunities in the European intermodal market.’
