Transport Van Overveld: Still too much fear among shippers to transport cargo by rail

Anyone who compares the number of intermodal trains per week between the Netherlands and Spain with the number of trains between the Netherlands and Italy will most likely raise the eyebrows: 3 trains a week to Spain versus 61 trains a week to Italy. The number of trains to and from Spain is therefore significantly lower and that is quite remarkable.
Admittedly, the Iberian Peninsula has a different track gauge from the rest of Europe. This legacy dates back to the 19th century when the Spaniards chose the so-called broad gauge for strategic (defensive) reasons. Otherwise, people feared that the French would invade more easily. To this day, cargo is therefore transferred to other wagons in Port Bou near Perpignan.
Nevertheless, Spain is in the top 10 of trading partners for the Netherlands, which implies many transport flows between the two countries. The website of the government for Enterprise Netherlands shows that in 2017 € 13.8 billion was exported to Spain and € 7.8 billion was imported from Spain.
The main export products are chemistry, machines and consumer goods (electronics). Import mainly consists of food. A cursory glance at the shelves of Dutch supermarkets shows us that a large share of the fruit and vegetable range Spain has as its origin. And that applies no less to the wine department.
As a result of the large volume of transport flows, many trucks still commute daily between the Netherlands and Spain and v.v. The high toll rates in France, the frequent congestion on this route, the high diesel prices, the high CO2 emissions and the inefficiency with regard to drivers are apparently increasing. Although …, more and more shippers and road hauliers see that this logistics model has its limitations.

Recently the go-ahead was given for the direct shuttle between Rotterdam and Valencia. One of the carriers on this train is Van Overveld. Gert van Overveld started offering road transport in Spain in 1988 and now has approximately 80 trailers with Jumbo and Albert Heijn as important customers.
Gert and his colleague Rob Ligthart, who has made his mark on Daily Fresh Logistics, which specializes in the transport of fruit and vegetables, will eventually create a problem in the available capacity of road transport due to the increasing driver shortage.
“ Intermodal transport is becoming increasingly important to us. Now that the direct shuttle between Rotterdam and Valencia is active, we would like to participate from the start ”, says Ligthart. That does not mean that intermodal transport is completely in its infancy. “ We started the RoLa connection of Lorry Rail between Bettembourg and Le Boulou about 10 years ago. We do this with our own non-faucable trailers. In addition, we also use third parties, where we outsource the entire through-to-door process. ”
Van Overveld and Ligthart blame the lack of performance in the past and the fear of it for the fact that so little use is made of intermodal transport solutions between the Netherlands and Spain track with many shippers. “ With a transport solution via the track, you depend on several links in the chain and many parties find this scary. In the past it was sometimes so bad that containers like loading unit were not even accepted. People preferred a sliding trailer because they were familiar with it. Fortunately, that is now a lot more nuanced. ”
Van Overveld and Ligthart are especially happy that there is now a direct connection from the Netherlands. “ For intermodal transport, pre- and post transport should preferably be as short as possible. That makes you more flexible. If the transport is 300 km, do not return empty. ”
Both men are also positive about the performance. “ The train runs well on time and that is an important condition. This also applies to the connection of Lorry Rail. In the event of a strike, a driver is available within 4.5 hours for trains in operation. That was different in the past. ”
Van Overveld and Ligthart see the frequency of the shuttle between Rotterdam and Valencia as an improvement point. “ The train now runs three times a week. It would be nice for us if this can be increased to five or six times a week. This offers a little more flexibility and that is a requirement for many of our transport flows. ”
In time, Van Overveld and Ligthart see even more potential for rail transport. “ The Spanish railways are constructing European railways between Perpignan and Valencia. We will not be surprised if the volume increases sharply as soon as this track is ready. Now that the fear of shippers is still breaking through … ”