First train with CMA CGM containers reaches eastern Hungary

The first train carrying CMA CGM containers has arrived at East-West Gate. It is a rail terminal at Fényeslitke in eastern Hungary, close to the Ukrainian border. The owner, EWG Group, announced the arrival this week without giving a volume, an origin port or a timetable. Nothing published says who bought the rail leg, so the boxes may have come on a train a merchant booked. One train does not make a service. What CMA CGM does with the empty boxes will decide whether this becomes one.

Eastern Hungary's battery and electric vehicle plants pull containers in and send few back out. CATL started trial cell production at its Debrecen plant on 22 September, and that adds one more factory drawing import boxes into the region. In a region that exports little, an import box goes back to the coast empty. Somebody pays for a rail leg that earns nothing.

EWG wants to refill that box with Ukrainian farm exports. Its terminal sits where Ukraine's broad gauge meets the European standard gauge, so it can take the grain straight off Ukrainian rail. It has done this once already. Its opening train, in October 2022, carried 44 TEU of wheat, millet and peas to Budapest's Csepel port. The grain leg matters more this month than it did in March. Russian attacks have nearly halted Ukraine's farm exports through its Black Sea ports. Hungary's prime minister, Péter Magyar, has said grain may cross the country as long as it only transits.

So who releases the empty box to the grain exporter? It has to be a carrier depot on site. Maersk signed for container depot and dry port services at Fényeslitke in March. CMA CGM has not announced a depot there. Until it does, its import boxes have no way into the grain loop.

A depot alone is not enough. After its import load, each box has to pass a food-grade inspection. It also has to carry the weight. The 2022 train came to 1,146 tonnes, about 26 tonnes per TEU. The rail routing to the port has to accept boxes that heavy. And every box needs a sealed customs transit.

The thing to watch is CMA CGM's list of empty-return points. If Fényeslitke appears on it, CMA CGM is running a service. Until then, this is one train.