- From 2 September, Kombiverkehr is linking Duisburg and Malmö with two weekly round trips, rising to four from January 2027, without using a ferry as the train runs via Denmark. From 8 September, the Regensburg-Verona Quadrante Europa service brings Ctr into the operator's network, while the Neuss-Barcelona Morrot service starts on 5 October with three weekly round trips.
- On 10 September, the operator acquired 100% of Combiberia, a Spanish intermodal company operating since 1992 and a partner since 1994, becoming its sole shareholder. Its headquarters remain in Madrid, with offices in Irun and Barcelona. Sébastien Eisner takes over management, while Antonio Pérez Millán continues as senior executive adviser.
- On alternative routes to Rhine shipping, Kombiverkehr is providing 46 weekly round trips with total capacity of around 2,000 TEU. The increase from three to five weekly departures between Cologne and Basel, effective from 7 September, adds a further 400 TEU, equivalent to two-thirds of the capacity previously available on the route.
Three new international connections and an enhanced domestic route: between 2 September and 5 October 2026, Kombiverkehr changed four routes in its European combined transport network, aiming to shift freight traffic from road and inland waterways to rail. The most geographically significant development is the Duisburg-Malmö service, operating since 2 September with two weekly round trips in each direction and set to rise to four from January 2027. The connection is entirely by rail and runs through Denmark, avoiding the need for a ferry crossing. The service enables long-distance combinations under a single booking, such as door-to-door transport from Barcelona to Stockholm or Hallsberg via Duisburg and Malmö.
On the route between Cologne and Basel, the change concerns frequency: from 7 September, weekly round trips increased from three to five in each direction, with transit times normally ranging from 11 to 13 hours. The additional capacity is equivalent to two-thirds of the volume previously available on the route and gives customers linking the Rhineland with southern Germany and Switzerland a wider choice of shipping days. Connections from Cologne-Eifeltor to other German and northern European hubs remain in operation.
The developments also involve Italy, where, from 8 September, the German operator introduced two weekly round trips between Regensburg and Verona Quadrante Europa, bringing Ctr Container Terminal Regensburg into the group's European intermodal network for the first time and adding capacity on the corridor between Germany and northern Italy. The fourth development concerns the Iberian Peninsula. From 5 October, the Neuss-Barcelona Morrot service starts operating with three weekly round trips, alongside the existing Ludwigshafen-Barcelona and Duisburg-Barcelona La Lagosta services. The trimodal terminal in Neuss also serves as a transhipment point for the train to Poznan, Poland, while in Spain, Constanti and Madrid can also be reached by rail from Barcelona.
The expansion towards Spain goes beyond the train timetable. On 10 September, Kombiverkehr acquired the entire share capital of Combiberia, becoming the Spanish company's sole shareholder and taking direct responsibility for its local operations. Combiberia has operated as an intermodal company since 1992 and has worked with the Frankfurt-based operator since 1994. It acts as an agent for Spanish freight forwarders and logistics companies, organising intermodal transport to and from the Iberian Peninsula through the Kombiverkehr network to Barcelona, Madrid and other Spanish terminals. Its commercial and operational support role includes coordinating between the Frankfurt headquarters and terminals in Spain. Direct control brings the group closer to the Spanish logistics market and strengthens its ties with the local intermodal sector.
For customers, the operational points of contact remain unchanged, while the headquarters stay in Madrid, with offices in Irun and Barcelona. Management passes to Sébastien Eisner, previously responsible for Western European sales at Kombiverkehr, while Antonio Pérez Millán continues at Combiberia as senior executive adviser. The company, now part of the Kombiverkehr group, will adopt a new corporate identity. Over the coming years, development will focus on domestic rail services in Spain and new customer segments, including temperature-controlled transport.
In Germany, the expansion of the Cologne-Basel service was announced on 13 August 2026 as a response to low water levels on the Rhine, which have been restricting the carrying capacity of inland vessels for months. For freight forwarders and shipping companies that had previously routed cargo by water, the operator made existing rail services within its network available: Antwerp-Duisburg, Antwerp-Ludwigshafen, Duisburg-Ludwigshafen, Cologne-Ludwigshafen, Cologne-Basel, Rotterdam-Duisburg, Rotterdam-Cologne, Rotterdam-Ludwigshafen and Rotterdam-Basel, providing a total of 46 weekly round trips and capacity of around 2,000 TEU, available at short notice. The increase on the Cologne-Basel route adds 400 TEU per week and, if necessary, the company says frequencies can also be increased on the other routes mentioned, while maintaining weekday daily departures and overnight transit times.
Antonio Illariuzzi
