Blog posts

3 min read

Rotterdam–Karsznice intermodal route more flexible than ever

Freight terminal in Immingham, UK

Since its launch in spring 2024, the intermodal route between Karsznice, Poland, and Rotterdam has continued to develop steadily and has proven to be a dependable, cost-efficient logistics solution for transporting goods between Eastern and Western Europe. Ongoing service enhancements are further increasing flexibility and ensuring the route can meet future transport demands.

A smooth connection across Europe

Our intermodal route connects Poland with the UK and Spain by rail, road and sea.

  • Rail: Karsznice (PL) ↔ Rotterdam (NL)

  • Road: Rotterdam ↔ DFDS' terminal in Vlaardingen

  • Sea: Vlaardingen ↔ Immingham & Felixstowe (UK)

  • Sea: Vlaardingen ↔ Vilagarcía (ES)

This multimodal transport offering ensures fast and reliable delivery times with consistent capacity throughout the year. Supported by DFDS’ extensive network and proven operations, these fully managed multimodal corridors offer efficient transport solutions for trailers, containers, and other cargo between Poland, the UK, and Spain. Departures from Rotterdam expand logistics possibilities across Europe, while the Spain connection remains a key RoRo route in our network, supporting sustainable transport to Vilagarcía. We also offer direct container services to Ireland and Norway, further strengthening logistics connectivity across our network.

New in 2025: All trailers, one solution

We now accommodate both non-cranable and cranable trailers (Huckepack), so any trailer can be transported without changing equipment or reloading cargo. This flexibility lets our customers benefit from intermodal transport without changing their existing operations.

Why choose the Rotterdam–Karsznice route?

Key advantages of this route include:

  • Trailers and containers: Efficient movement of cranable and non-cranable trailers (Huckepack) as well as containers

  • Reliable performance: 90% on-time deliveries

  • Avoid German tolls (MAUT): Save on costs by bypassing the German road network

  • Weather-resilient operations: Rail transport and freight shipping are less affected by seasonal disruptions

  • Lower emissions: Rail transport emits significantly less CO₂ than road transport, and our vessel to Spain runs on biofuel

  • Integrated with the DFDS network: Direct connections from Rotterdam to the UK, Norway, Spain, and Portugal – and back to Poland

Onwards: from Poland to Spain via Rotterdam

In addition to our UK routes, goods from Poland can be transported via Rotterdam onwards to Vilagarcía, Spain. This is a more sustainable intermodal transport solution, since the vessel between Rotterdam and Vilagarcía runs on biofuel and further reduces the route's carbon footprint.

Built for growth, backed by experts

From the beginning, our goal has been to provide efficient, reliable, and sustainable logistics solutions. With experienced specialists overseeing every step of the transport process, all shipments are handled safely and delivered on schedule. Whether goods are destined for the UK, Spain, or other markets, our intermodal network is designed to support business growth and supply chain efficiency.

Ready to move onwards? Contact our team at sales.nl@dfds.com to learn how the Rotterdam–Karsznice route can strengthen your logistics operations.