CEVA Logistics continues to expand its range of ground and rail services from China to Europe, with a new train-ferry service from Xi’an (China) to Immingham, in the UK.

In a statement, it said the weekly multimodal train-ferry service from Xi’an to Immingham via Kaliningrad, Russia, will provide additional freight capacity for shippers amid unprecedented demand for transport and logistics services.

The new route's pilot shipment to Immingham left Xi'an by block train on March 18, going to Kaliningrad, where the cargo was reloaded the same day onto a ferry that arrived in Immingham on April 6.

CEVA noted that the pilot shipment for the new regular connection delivered 25 containers, including e-commerce goods.

Regular service by June

"More trials will follow in May, with regular service starting by early June. CEVA’s aim for port-to-port delivery times is 18-20 days, with door-to-door delivery times not exceeding 25 days," it added.

The logistics firm noted that it is also offering a premium service on its existing route from Xi’an to the Mukran (Sassnitz) port in Germany.

"CEVA upgraded its express block train solution from Xi'an to Mukran. Since April 1, the existing regular connection to Duisburg, Germany, has also been operating a high-speed and high-security premium service every Thursday," it said in a statement.

In addition, CEVA said it will also begin operating an additional regular block train on June 1 from Xi’an to Duisburg via Malaszewicze, Poland, with a port-to-port delivery time of 15 days.

Block trains central to CEVA rail strategy

CEVA Logistics said it continues to develop additional block train connections to expand regular China to Europe connections, including Spain, Italy, and France.

"The company’s block trains provide responsive logistics solutions between Asia and Europe and serve the growing need to balance delivery time, cost, and more environmentally sustainable transport," it said.

Over the past two years, CEVA noted that it has accelerated its range of ground and rail solutions from China to Europe, most recently announcing in January a regular connection to Dourges, France.

The Xi'an port will continue to play a significant role in further developments. CEVA Logistics has dispatched more than 50 block trains from the port since May 2020.

“CEVA Logistics remains committed to developing sustainable and reliable transport solutions with our rail products — along the Silk Road in particular," says Xavier Bour, Global Ground, and Rail Product Leader, CEVA Logistics commented.

The Suez Canal crisis has highlighted the risks associated with single-mode, single-route transport, and our recent developments of more block trains, new routings, and premium services are available, offering responsive logistics solutions to our customers and supporting them in achieving secure and cost-effective supply chains.”