Hannibal, the Multimodal Transport Operator of the Contship group, has announced the launch of a new rail service between the inland terminal in Melzo, Rail Hub Milano, and the port terminal of Europoort Rotterdam. The new service, starting on 8 July 2026, is part of the group’s ongoing expansion of its intermodal network in Europe. Europoort Rotterdam combines rail links, short sea shipping services and ocean connections in a highly integrated multimodal platform, serving as a key access point to the continent’s main logistics corridors. The terminal handles container and conventional cargo flows and acts as a consolidation and distribution hub for traffic bound for the Benelux, Germany, the United Kingdom and the main Northern European markets.
With the launch of the new route, Contship completes its operational coverage of all the main terminals in the port of Rotterdam: Moerdijk, Rsc, Botlek and Europoort. The configuration broadens the range of connections available for onward services to the United Kingdom and Scandinavia and strengthens the role of Hannibal and RHM as a rail gateway to Northern Europe. The service can carry semi-trailers, containers and swap bodies and will operate as an open rail shuttle, offering both lo-lo (lift-on/lift-off) and ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) solutions to meet different transport requirements. Six trains per week are planned, with total capacity of up to 38 loading units.
Departures from Italy are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Melzo, while trains from Europoort will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Transit time is around 24 hours. Traction will be provided in partnership with the Swiss operator SBB. With the launch of the new service, the number of weekly rail services between Melzo and the Netherlands will rise to 36. Hannibal says the group is already working on new projects that will take shape in the coming months, aimed at further consolidating and expanding its network of rail connections to Northern Europe.
