Geminor completes RDF transport exclusively on rails

On Thursday 23rd. April, a two-carriage train loaded with 110 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) arrived at Geminor’s HUB in Landskrona in Sweden. The test cargo arrived from Braunsbedra near Leipzig, where Geminor conducts a joint HUB project with Logex Systems. This is the first ever waste transport on rails which is unsupported by trucks from one European country to another, according to Geminor Country Manager in Sweden, Per Mernelius.

“We now have a railway track directly linking our German HUB to the Geminor HUB in Landskrona. No additional transport by truck is needed, making this a new milestone both for us and for the European waste industry,” said Mernelius.

Since transport by ship is only effective within a radius of 200km from the ports, central Germany becomes a natural starting point for transport by train. In cooperation with German DB Cargo, the RDF transport to Sweden has mainly been conducted by electric locomotives, making this a sustainable and attractive option.

“A train consisting of eight carriages can load as much as 500 tonnes, which is the equivalent of 16 trucks. By avoiding the use of road transport, the CO2-emissions per ton cargo is radically reduced,” Mernelius argued.

This is the beginning of an extensive waste transport by train in Europe, says CEO at Geminor, Kjetil Vikingstad.

Kjetil Vikingstad at Geminor, added: “Currently we have a capacity of transporting up to 50 000 tonnes by rail per year. This opens for more transport of baled waste, non-baled waste or materials for recycling from many markets in central Europe, such as Poland and Italy in addition to Germany.

“Rail carriages also allow for the return transport of products such as paper and timber, making this an economically as well as environmentally sound transport alternative.”