Lidl Enters Rail Market with Tailwind Intermodal Business

The freight operator is an extension of Lidl’s existing shipping business, Tailwind Shipping Lines, and will initially offer the service from the Slovenian port into the Austrian state of Styria five times per week in both directions.

Christian Steindl, managing director of Tailwind Intermodal, said the route was chosen to serve as a connection from the port of Koper, where Tailwind Shipping Lines also operates, to Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

“With the direct rail connection between these strategically ideally located cargo centers, we are positioning ourselves as an intermodal service provider for all those transporting containers between the Mediterranean and Eastern and Southeastern Europe,” Steindl explained.

The company has named the service the “Panther Shuttle,” referencing the Styrian coat of arms, and has plans to increase the frequency of its services over the next year. However, they have not commented on future expansions to other routes.

The launch of Tailwind Intermodal continues Lidl’s effort to bring more of its supply chain transportation in-house. Lidl had previously launched its shipping business in April 2022 in response to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lidl stated that the expansion of its freight operations would allow it to enhance supply chains between Europe and China, a route served by Tailwind Shipping Lines, with rail services offering further container transport to inland destinations.

This new connection to Austria comes as the country’s national rail operator, ÖBB, carries out modernization and expansion works on its rail corridors to the Slovenian border, with a recent project aiming to cut travel time to Graz by 25 minutes.