Source: https://intermodalnews.eu/2021/07/29/maersk-contributes-to-modal-shift-in-bulgaria/

Maersk contributes to modal shift in Bulgaria

Author:Mykola Zasiadko

Despite the dominance of road transport in Bulgaria, the Danish shipping line Maersk has focused on developing the new rail freight services in the country. It launched the container train from the Port of Burgas to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city. This will make a significant contribution to the shift-to-rail policy in the Balkan country.

Maersk is moving further in developing its rail freight connections around the world. Last week, on 22 July, the Danish shipping company launched a new container train in Bulgaria. It linked Burgas, the country’s main port, and Plovdiv, the second-largest city. The new intermodal service is connected with a daily truck shuttle to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

“Maersk size and presence in Bulgaria gives us a unique position to strengthen the logistics landscape in the country. We have offered our customer not just changing from truck to rail but connecting rail to their supply chains in a way that presents additional value to their logistics and business,” explained Sedef Ayhan, Managing Director for Europe & Middle East at Maersk.

Two partners

The Burgas-Plovdiv rail connection was launched in a partnership with Jysk Bulgaria, the Danish retail chain, and Mondi, a leading worldwide packaging and paper group. “This service is key for us to increase supply chain resilience and agility through the current challenging times. By including rail, we save 40 kilometres from Burgas to Sofia. The fact that the rail travels by night and gathers big lots helps us to get better transit times and overall, we reduce CO2 emissions in our supply chain, as rail freight produces 16 times less carbon pollution than road freights,” added Jaroslaw Sobczyk, Logistics Director of Jysk Bulgaria.