DB CARGO: NEW ROUND-TRIP CONCEPT FOR STELLANTIS

It's the holy grail of rail logistics providers everywhere: freight trains running loaded on every journey. The reality is often quite different, as trains usually transport goods to one destination and then travel empty to the next pick-up address. Not so with the transport recently launched by Stellantis and DB Cargo Logistics – a great partnership with a recipe for success.

It just works: Efficient round-trip concept between Rüsselsheim and Zeebrugge
A flawless round trip between Rüsselsheim in Germany and Zeebrugge, Belgium, for Stellantis is a prime example of efficient logistics. A freight train carrying some 170 finished vehicles for the international market leaves the plant in Rüsselsheim and transports them to Zeebrugge. The train is unloaded there, and the cars, from Stellantis's well-known brands such as Opel, Peugeot and Fiat, are prepared at the port for export by ship.

The train is then directly reloaded with vehicles for the German market and makes its way back to Rüsselsheim, where the cars are stored temporarily until last-mile transport, often to dealerships. Now the train is ready for Stellantis to load more export vehicles, and a new round trip begins. It sounds simple on paper, but it's a dream come true for the rail logistics company and ensures high satisfaction for the car manufacturer, too. This seamless concept has been running smoothly and efficiently once a week since September 2023.

Resilient and robust: Shuttle with fixed resources
Several things all need to come together for this transport concept to be successful. DB Cargo Logistics has drawn up the timetable such that even unexpected disruption does not throw the round trips off track. This also allows for last-minute repairs to wagons if necessary. In addition, the car carrier wagons are used exclusively for this round-trip service and are therefore permanently available.

Stellantis has found a pragmatic yet far-reaching solution here by turning part of the Rüsselsheim plant into its own compound, which can temporarily store imported vehicles as well as vehicles for export. The compound ends Stellantis's reliance on third-party providers and overcrowded car terminals and perfectly complements the round-trip concept between Rüsselsheim and Zeebrugge. It's a solution that required intensive planning and innovative spirit.