Czech freight carrier continues to help Ukraine, ČD Cargo Logistics has started transporting corn in full swing

For several months now, ČD Cargo has been helping war-affected Ukraine with the export of local commodities. In the summer, the company started transporting corn in full swing. The first freight train transported 1,500 tonnes of this agricultural commodity.

Czech freight carrier ČD Cargo has joined the aid to war-affected Ukraine and is exporting commodities there. This summer, the export of Ukrainian corn is in full swing, and the transport is being handled by the subsidiary ČD Cargo Logistics. The company specializes, among other things, in bulk materials transport, such as corn.

Special freight trains using 30-foot bulk containers for the transport of bulk materials thus set off on the corn journey from Ukraine. The first such train transported almost 1,500 tonnes of the commodity in 40 containers, travelling from the Haniska transhipment yard near Košice to the port of Hamburg Hohe Schaar. The entire journey took only two days, and so far, almost 5,000 tonnes of maize have been transported.

ČD Cargo has 70 of these bulk containers at its disposal, which make up two train sets, one of 20 wagons and the other of 15 wagons. It enables the carrier to ensure smooth transport of the corn. The total volume of all agricultural commodities transported through the Czech Republic in the period April-July is estimated at 200 trains with approximately 350-400 000 tonnes of cargo.

In the future, shipping could also become more involved based on an agreement between the UN, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia on ensuring the safe export of grain and food products from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhno. Even so, it is clear that rail will continue to be a vital lifeline for Ukraine in the ongoing war and will play a role in post-war reconstruction.