photo: Jiří Štembírek/Facebook ČD Cargo/ČD Cargo
ČD Cargo continues its planned foreign expansion. It has now aimed at the Croatian market and has also established a subsidiary of ČD Cargo Adria. He wants to prioritize transport within the port of Rijeka.
This port is perceived by ČD Cargo as a key one. Its advantage is that, compared to other ports, it has not been used so much for rail transport so far. Rijeka has great potential. Interest in this port is increasing, mainly due to capacity problems of the railway line leading from Koper port, which is only a single-track railway.
The most commonly transported commodity on the line to Rijeka port and from Rijeka port are metallurgical products. In addition, there is also a wood-loading terminal in the port. There is also an oil terminal.
Another potential target of ČD Cargo in Croatia will be the developing port in Ploče. Croatia expects extensive investments in this port as well as in the port of Rijeka.
"The aim of the new company is to obtain a license for operations in Croatia within a year. This will give us the opportunity to run trains truly, across Europe’, for example from Rijeka to tariff points in the Czech Republic, Germany... and to other countries, fully with our locomotives at the head and under our license," said ČD Cargo Chairman Tomáš Tóth to the media.
According to the head of ČD Cargo, the Balkans provide space for further expansion. This is the potential that chairman Tomáš Tóth would like to take advantage of. Therefore, it also does not exclude that other countries where ČD Cargo will operate may include, for example, Serbia. Slovenia may also be another destination for the future.
Currently, ČD Cargo is considering whether to have its own locomotives in Croatia. The freight carrier's main ambition is to run trains across Europe.
ČD Cargo has been doing really well in the last two years of foreign expansion. For example, it operates in Hungary, Austria, Germany or Poland, and Slovakia. This week, ČD Cargo can celebrate, for example, its 1,000th train, which was set up under its own license in Germany.