Dear Customers,

Throughout this week, we will be affected by a series of track closures in the Elbe Valley, which will significantly limit services between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, the Balkans, and the ports of Northern Germany, Rotterdam, and Duisburg, see our Newsletter No. 045/2026 dated 02/03/2026. Rail traffic remains severely disrupted due to overcrowding of the rail infrastructure. Trains are being stopped at various locations, disrupting the circulation of railcars and locomotives, and we are facing a shortage of both. Significant delays are occurring. We are forced to cancel some trains.

For northern German ports, it remains generally the case that import connections are booked out weeks in advance, and the volume of import shipments accumulated in the ports is enormous.
Hamburg: HPA is controlling train entry.
Bremerhaven: Bremenports is again controlling train entry. The situation regarding train circulation is extremely tense here, and delays in both directions are reaching up to 5 days.

Gdańsk: Trains are currently running with a delay of approximately two days due to disrupted train operations caused by a long-term closure between METRANS Ostrava and Česká Třebová terminals, which we reported in Newsletter No. 039/2026. The BalticHub terminal is operating this week with a 20% reduction in scheduled slot capacity. Imports are fully booked until 28/03/2026, and it is not currently possible to request a special train.

Our Customer Service Team will answer any questions you may have regarding specific shipments.

METRANS Team