In the 2024 financial year, we remained committed to flexibly adapting our network to market developments, shifts in demand and operational conditions. The turn of the year 2024/2025 was characterized by selective consolidation at national level and a focused expansion of international connections - always with the aim of ensuring attractive and reliable transport solutions in combined transport.
In domestic traffic, the harmonization of production structures led to a reduction of the Wuppertal/Cologne - Basel v.v. route to a restructured Cologne - Basel v.v. route with three weekly round trips. The Cologne - Kornwestheim/Ulm v.v. route was replaced by a new Duisburg - Kornwestheim - Singen connection. The latter is operated in cooperation with a partner company, with the long-term aim of including this service in our network.
In north-south traffic, Ludwigshafen - Hanover Lehrte - Lübeck CTL was replaced by an optimized connection from Duisburg. With this change, we are improving the connection to the high-performance Hanover Lehrte hub and at the same time strengthening intermodal transport to the Baltic Sea. The launch of the new direct connection Hamburg - Lübeck Skandinavienkai v.v. with three round trips per week, which has replaced the previous trucking solution since the start of 2025, represents a significant leap in quality. In Kiel, the service is now provided exclusively via Schwedenkai, while Norwegenkai and Ostuferhafen will continue to be connected via a round trip.
We also focused on the targeted further development of existing international services in 2024. The route to Lyon, which was previously handled via Cologne and Duisburg, was consolidated in July 2024 and from then on operated via the terminals in Duisburg and Ludwigshafen. With an additional focus on sustainable and fast intermodal connections between the Benelux region and south-western Europe, the new Antwerp - Madrid v.v. route went into operation in September 2024. The connection, which initially started with two round trips, has now been increased to three weekly departures and enables a transit time of 48 to 72 hours - faster than comparable short sea services. Customers also benefit from connecting services in the Spanish hinterland, for example to Valencia, Zaragoza or Seville.
Another milestone was the introduction of the new Rotterdam RSC - Cologne-Eifeltor v.v. connection on March 12, 2024 with three round trips per week. The route is the perfect addition to our service between Germany and the Netherlands. The integration of the Cologne-Eifeltor hub terminal opens up numerous connection options in the continental and international network, including to France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Greece. The short turnaround times - Melzo in northern Italy, for example, can be reached in just 48 hours - and the optional transshipment in the Rotterdam port area from Rotterdam RSC further increase flexibility.
The discontinuation of the Granollers service at the end of May 2025 results in a structural change, with capacity being shifted entirely to a new connection between Port Bou and Morrot with five weekly round trips. This will ensure that Kombiverkehr can continue to serve this important transport route between the Barcelona and Ludwigshafen metropolitan areas and the Rhine-Ruhr region with a high capacity.