CoolRail, the first direct connection by train for the shipment of fresh products from Valencia to Rotterdam, was launched on May 6 and has been officially presented last Tuesday in Valencia.
It is a refrigerated train that carries fresh fruits and vegetables three times a week from Valencia to Rotterdam. The project is an initiative of Euro Pool System, provider of logistics services and reusable packaging for agro-food distribution, in partnership with the railway operator Shuttelwise. Various retailers and companies involved in fruit and vegetable logistics have also collaborated in its implementation.
At the presentation of the event, attended by producers and marketers of the fruit and vegetables sector, purchasing centers and logistics operators, as well as executives from RENFE, ADIF, FERRMED and Corredor Mediterráneo, the director of Euro Pool System for Southern Europe, Bartolomé Saro, said that "this project has been implemented in the framework of a global change in mobility. It is all about finding more sustainable, efficient and environmentally-friendly forms of transport which can also help boost Spanish exports to northern Europe."
In fact, the main advantage of this train, which covers the Valencia-Rotterdam route in 48 hours, just as long as a truck, is its lower environmental impact. Consequently, CoolRail will entail the elimination of 12,096 shipments by truck and the saving of 22 million kilometers. This means cutting annual CO2 emissions by 15,000 tons; that is, between 70% and 90% compared to road traffic. This CO2 savings equals the annual production of 6 giant wind turbines.
CoolRail started operating on May 6 with its first trip between Silla, in Valencia, and Rotterdam. Each train carries 42 containers, making a round trip 3 times a week and 48 weeks a year. The temperature of each refrigerated container is regulated depending on the product it contains. On the outward journey, from Valencia to Rotterdam, the train is loaded with fresh products; on the return one, the reusable containers used for the products' distribution are returned, folded, in order to make transport more efficient.
This first Valencia-Rotterdam connection aims to be just the first of a more extensive network. In the future, we intend to continue implementing CoolRail rail connections to other priority destinations for Spanish exports, such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
The initiative also aims to promote the expansion of the Mediterranean Corridor from Almeria to La Jonquera, thereby facilitating the boost of Spanish exports to northern Europe.
In 2018, according to data from FEPEX, Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable exports were worth 12,832 million Euro. Exports to the European Union accounted for 94% of the total, with Germany, France and the United Kingdom, in that order, as the main destinations. Andalusia and the Region of Valencia are the country's largest fruit and vegetable exporters.
In order to launch CoolRail, Euro Pool System has collaborated with the following partners: Shuttlewise, Bakker Barendrecht/Albert Heijn, Visbeen, Kloosterboer, DailyFresh, EasyFresh, Primaflor, Bollo, Agroiris, Fruveg, TobSine, Pozo Sur and Samskip.
Euro Pool System is the market leader in the field of reusable packaging for the fresh food supply chain in Europe. It has a European network of some 71 service centers in 15 countries and provides services in 30 countries. In 2018, it recorded a turnover of 310 million Euro and handled 1,100 million containers.