AWT to start own rail transports in Poland

AWT Group becomes the first foreign rail carrier licensed to operate in Poland
 
International rail carrier AWT has become the first foreign company to obtain a licence to operate rail transport in Poland. The company has acquired a designated rail transporter safety certificate from Polish rail regulator UTK. The first AWT trains may appear on Polish railways within several weeks. In addition to its Polish subsidiary AWT Rail PL, AWT also operates a subsidiary in Slovakia (AWT Rail SK) and a subsidiary in Hungary (AWT Rail HU).
 
AWT already operates in Poland as a forwarder – securing transport through local partners and local employees. Several months ago, AWT established its subsidiary in Poland, AWT Rail PL, whose Czech-Polish team boasts extensive experience and thorough knowledge of the Polish freight rail and intermodal transport markets, as well as of Polish heavy industry. AWT Rail PL also offers forwarding services. However, it is only now, with the new licence having been secured, that AWT will be able to commence operating its own rail transport, once the safety certificate has been issued.
 
“In combination with AWT Rail PL, we are now entering a market with a size and potential which far exceeds that of the space in which we have been operating so far. We intend to offer our services to local industrial businesses, energy companies, steelmakers and businesses in the chemical and automotive industries. We are confident of achieving success with the application of our experience, particularly in the field of cross-border transport,” explains Jana Vládková, Chairwoman of the Board at AWT Rail PL.
 
AWT will use both electric and diesel-electric locomotives, with only Polish drivers at the controls for the time being. The objective of a training programme that will take place in the coming months will be to turn out our own engine drivers who will be competent in driving trains both in the Czech Republic and Poland. In the immediate future, AWT will focus mainly on short cross-border journeys within the region of Silesia.
 
AWT Group is the largest private provider of rail freight services in Europe. It provides comprehensive solutions mainly to large industrial companies in Central and Eastern Europe, primarily transporting commodities such as coal and steel, and components for the automobile industry. It has an extensive fleet of rolling stock, with more than 160 locomotives and 5,500 freight wagons. In the Czech Republic, it owns the rapidly growing Ostrava-Paskov combined transport terminal, operates more than 60 rail sidings and owns over 400km of track. It employs more than 2,000 people and has annual revenues of almost EUR 400 million.

Quelle: LogEastics

Portal: www.logistik-express.com