by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

Update: 20.09.2024

According to new updates on the flooding situation in Europe, the Ostrava terminal will be fully accessible by rail once again today.

Preparations are underway for the first Ceska Trebova - Ostrava route train, scheduled to depart on 20 September.

Normal operations in Ostrava are expected to resume over the weekend, reinstating services routed through the Ostrava terminal.

While traffic has resumed on most Austrian routes, the situation remains uncertain for services via the Krems terminal.

Infrastructure managers in the city have yet to confirm the passability of the lines, leaving some services limited.

However, efforts are ongoing to restore full operations as soon as possible.

Original article: 16.09.2024

Recent extreme weather has caused significant delays in cargo transportation across several European nations, including Hungary, southern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

The disruption has occurred due to the significant impact of the heavy rainfall and subsequent floods on rail networks.

Various customer advisories from rail service providers state that train operation in Austria has not been possible since the weekend owing to the extreme weather. 

One advisory highlighted that all trains in the Bilk-Schedule are currently parked on the route to and from Budapest, and there is no clear indication of when regular freight train traffic will resume.

Furthermore, as a result of the flood situation, the Hungarian road administration closed the Vámosszabadi border crossing today.

Sources mentioned that the closure is planned until 23 September.

During this period, all road traffic via Dunajska Streda will be rerouted through Komarom border crossing, which will be taken into account when planning shipments.

In addition, MSC announced that areas in the Czech Republic and border areas of neighbouring countries have been impacted by the floods. Some container terminals in the intermodal network are facing operational limitations due to these impacts.

More details can be found in this link.

The route to the northern ports remains passable for vessels. However, there is concern that the flood situation on the Elbe, which has not yet reached its maximum, could suspend vessel traffic.

Disruption at the Port of Hamburg

Operations at the Port of Hamburg have been suspended today, 16 September, due to a scheduled system update.

Until further notice, the update is anticipated to continue creating disruptions.

According to a customer advisory, container movement by rail will be suspended until then. 

Furthermore, there are presently no handling slots available for trucks from the Hamburg terminals CTA, CTT, and Eurogate in addition to rail handling.

Loading delays, departure delays, and partial cancellations are to be expected.