Since September 7, 2026, there have been more departures on the rail route between Cologne and Basel. Kombiverkehr has increased its service from three to five round trips per week. A round trip means one journey there and back again.
According to the company, this increases the possible transport volume by approximately two-thirds. Specifically, around 400 TEU will be additionally available. One TEU corresponds to approximately a standard 20-foot container.
The journey between Cologne-Eifeltor and Basel typically takes eleven to thirteen hours. From Cologne, there are further connections to Germany and Northern Europe. This makes it easier for shipments from Switzerland to be transported further north.
The background is also the low water levels on the Rhine. When inland vessels can carry less cargo, transportation costs per ton increase. In some cases, shipments remain unshipped or must be distributed across multiple vessels. Rail can take over part of these volumes. However, it will not be able to replace every lost barge slot.
For freight forwarders, the denser timetable offers more choice in shipping days. Anyone who misses a train or fails to bring their goods to the terminal in time no longer has to wait as long for the next departure.
In addition to Cologne–Basel, Kombiverkehr is expanding other routes. Between Duisburg and Malmö, two round trips per week have been running since September 2. From September 8, two round trips between Regensburg and Verona will be added. A new connection from Neuss to Barcelona is scheduled to start on October 5 with three round trips per week. This Spain connection is announced but not yet in operation at the date of this report.
