The Brussels-headquartered Lineas has introduced a new route that connects the North Sea Port's Ghent with the Milano Segrate inland terminal in northern Italy, operated by Terminali Italia.

The service's trains, around 22 wagons per trip, will run five times a week.

According to the company, it will be possible to replace some 11k/year truck trips with the new offer.

Lineas has already been running rail services to Milano Segrate - from Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Moerdijk.

"With the increasing pressure on transit times, often as a result of congested roads, this rail connection makes it even easier for companies to optimize goods flows by shifting to rail," Daan Schalck, North Sea Port's CEO, commented.

Xavier Verschaffel, Head of Lineas' Ghent operations, added, "We have continuously developed our presence here and the new service from Ghent to Milano further underlines Lineas' commitment to Ghent as a key hub for its operations, connecting an ever expanding regional economy to Europe and beyond."

Photo: Lineas