XPO, a leading provider of innovative and sustainable end-to-end logistics solutions across Europe, is expanding its multimodal transport solutions with the launch of a new corridor between Antwerp, Belgium, and Istanbul, Turkey.

Approximately 2,600 km long, the new route combines road and rail transportation methods, reducing transit time from ten days to eight compared to road transportation alone. This significantly enhances logistics capabilities between these pivotal trade hubs, enabling companies to move greater volumes of products between Belgium and Turkey.

The new multimodal corridor also offers customers more regular service throughout the year, even in peak season, while also reducing road congestion. In addition to the rail and road route, XPO Logistics provides customers the option of combining short sea shipping and rail, with rail transit between Duisburg, Germany, and the port at Trieste, Italy, connecting to sea transit between Trieste and Izmir, Turkey.

This new multimodal route offers significant environmental benefits, including a notable reduction in CO2 emissions. Rail transport produces approximately 80% fewer emissions than traditional road transport, which equates to approximately 3,100 kg less CO2 emitted per trip on this route.

Christophe Verot, Managing Director-Central Europe, XPO Logistics, said: “Our dedication to multimodal transport solutions has been highly successful, strengthening XPO´s position in the combined road, sea and rail transportation market. The implementation of multimodal solutions is a crucial step in enhancing the efficiency of our customers' goods movement, while also reducing their supply chain carbon footprint to help them meet sustainability objectives. We are confident that the new corridor between Belgium and Turkey will result in environmental efficiencies, enhanced safety, and reduced transit times for our customers”.

As the need to decarbonise intensifies, XPO Logistics anticipates that customers will continue to seek out multimodal and alternative transportation solutions. The opening of the company’s latest corridor further underscores its commitment to expanding multimodal routes, building on existing rail and road services between Barcelona, Spain, and Bettembourg, Luxembourg; Le Boulou and Calais, France; and Domodossa, Italy, and Duisburg, Germany. In addition, XPO operates short sea shipping routes between the ports of Liverpool, UK, and Santander, Spain; and Barcelona, Spain, and Savona, Italy.

Multimodal transport is a key part of XPO´s suite of low-emission sustainable solutions (LESS®), which assist companies in decarbonising their supply chains and achieving their sustainability targets. In addition to enabling customers to replace road transport with alternative modes, LESS® includes options for curbing CO2 emissions by substituting diesel with alternative fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil, natural gas and electric. With transport being responsible for almost 37% of global carbon emissions, and heavy trucks alone accounting for 25% of transport emissions in 2020, it is vital to improve opportunities to reduce emissions through innovative solutions like LESS®.

XPO Logistics is a leading innovative supply chain company in Europe, offering end-to-end logistics solutions that combine full-truckload, less-than-truckload, pallet distribution, last-mile delivery, global freight forwarding, and contract logistics. The company tailors its solutions to meet the specific needs of its diverse customer base across a range of industrial and consumer sectors.