Business

The world of logistics and intermodality in ČD Cargo

Published: 13. 4. 2023
Author: Michal Roh
Photo: archiv ČD Cargo, Peter Nikmon, Michal Roh
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In a fully liberalized market, only those carriers who can offer a little something extra, some additional services besides getting you from point A to point B, can truly hold their own. Providing these services not only in the Czech Republic but all across Europe is also a must. The ČD Cargo joint-stock company is one such carrier, leveraging the full potential of its subsidiaries and foreign branches to achieve that.

The fully-owned subsidiary ČD Cargo Logistics (ČDC L) is one of the largest and most influential logistics companies in the Czech Republic. Jana Mlkvá has been at its helm since 2020. “Within the ČD Cargo Group, we are the only ones to actively implement and develop transport across the new Silk Road,” says the Chair of the ČDC L board. “For transporting to and from the east, we utilize our traditional product, the MalaTrain, and we’re capable of handling business-related cases even in these difficult times. A bit of a paradox, but with a decrease in volume came an increase in quality. What’s changed, though, is our business partners’ portfolios, and the structure of the goods we transport, be it due to the sanctions imposed on Russia, or the fears and worries of our customers when it comes to transport across Russia,” adds Jana Mlkvá.

Transformers and TGV
“The transport of special deliveries is a very important segment of our activities – be it rail vehicles, trams, trolleybuses, etc. We have years upon years of experience, thanks to which we’ll be the ones to transport used Czech buses or trolleybuses to war-torn Ukraine,” Jana Mlkvá clarifies some additional activities of the ČDC L company. It’s not only ČDC L – ČD Cargo itself boasts a wealth of experience with this kind of transport. Worth mentioning is the transport of Castors (containers storing burnt-out nuclear fuel) from Plzeň to the Dukovany or Temelín nuclear power plants, or the hauling of transformers. Just last year, using a special heavy-duty freight car, we transported several heavy transformers from Plzeň to the Mochovce nuclear power plant. We were able to carry out this very difficult transport using Slovak tracks as well, all thanks to another one of our subsidiaries – ČD Cargo Slovakia. Other significant references include transporting a historical TGV train during the time of its showcase across Czechia or transporting a state-of-the-art TGV high-speed unit for a test run on the Velim circuit.

Lovosice warehouse
One part of the ČD Cargo logistics services is a storage warehouse in Lovosice. Among its chief advantages are railway tracks leading directly inside, which means the loading and unloading of goods are no longer subject to the whims of weather. It’s not all about storage, though – there’s also the option to utilize the services of a temporary customs warehouse. When it comes to e-commerce delivery, we’re able to offer a wide range of services, be it unloading containers through a reception system, customs clearance, completion, sorting, or labeling, all the way through to dispatching goods via package operators. Additional logistics services, such as the unloading and storage of goods, as well as delivery, are also on offer in Kalná Voda u Trutnova, or in České Budějovice. The former of the two centers takes care of, for example, unloading mineral resources from wagons, and the following transport thereof to a porcelain factory in Žacléř, in the Krkonoše mountains. During winter, it then takes part in the transport of finished goods.

Modes of transportation shouldn't compete with one another
There should be no competition between different modes of transport within any given logistics chain – instead, they should complement one another. Railway transport is fast and effective at greater distances, road transport then offers speed and operability when it comes to the collection and delivery of goods. Utilizing these reciprocal synergies is only made possible thanks to using intermodal transport units – shipping containers, interchangeable extensions, or manipulable road trailers. Another necessary condition is a network of capacity terminals. ČD Cargo owns a share in two such terminals – Lovosice and Brno. “ČDC L also offers terminal services to its customers, and I’m very happy to say that we’ve recently joined the Operator of the newly built terminal in Mošnov,” Jana Mlkvá presents the company’s further activities, and goes on to conclude: “The Mošnov terminal has been open for business since August of last year, and the very first train with a ČD Cargo locomotive reached Mošnov on the 14th of August, en route from the Italian city of Terst.”


JANA MLKVÁ
Jana Mlkvá graduated in Transport Technology and Control from the Faculty of Transportation Engineering, University of Pardubice. She first started working at ČD Cargo as a sales manager, later becoming the business development director. At the same time, she was a member of the ČD Cargo Logistics board. Between 2014 and 2016, she took a leadership role in the company Interport as its sales director. She subsequently worked at Carbosped, leading various significant projects related to matters such as the transport of wood chips and the like. As of January 1, 2020, Jana Mlkvá has returned to the ČD Cargo Logistics management structure while also being appointed the chair of the company's board.

Jana Mlkvá, Vitaliy Usatyi (chargé d'affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Czechia), Zdeněk Hřib (incumbent mayor of Prague) during the loading of humanitarian aid at the Praha-Libeň station.

ČD Cargo offers a wide array of services at its Lovosice warehouse.

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