Shipping on a platform with fittings for rail transport of 20 ft and 40 ft containers

Container shipping by rail is quite popular. Packing cargo in a container allows for mixed transport by sea, rail, and road from the point of departure to the point of receipt of the cargo. In this case, the cargo packed in the container is protected from natural influences such as:

• rain,
• snow,
• sun,
• wind.

What cargo and where can be transported by a container platform

Thanks to the convenient packaging in a container, such platforms can transport almost any cargo that does not require special temperature conditions during transit. Clothing, footwear, alcoholic beverages, other food products that do not require refrigeration during storage, household appliances, all this and much more can be transported on a platform with fittings for containers. Container shipping allows for the dispatch of groupage cargo, meaning that small cargoes from different shippers can be loaded into one container, heading in the same direction.

Sending cargo directly on such a rail platform is only possible between two stations connected by rail. However, considering the possibility of transferring containers to other modes of transport, global multimodal delivery of containers "from door to door" is possible. From port to port. Not only Russia, China, or Europe, but also Africa, America, and Australia can send and receive containers.

Design and characteristics of platforms for container transport

A distinctive feature of platforms for container transport by rail is the installation of fitting supports that keep the container in a stationary position during transit. When loading containers onto the platform, the locks, which are part of the container's design, engage with the fitting supports and secure the cargo.

Some rail container platforms can only transport containers. The flooring on such platforms is absent, and the fitting supports are fixed in place. Other platforms, to enhance their versatility, are equipped with flooring, and the fitting supports are mounted on hinges, allowing them to be folded when transporting other types of cargo.

The majority of rail container platforms with fittings used by railways allow for the transport of two 20-foot or one 40-foot container. However, new extended platforms with fittings designed to transport two 40-foot containers have already appeared.

What affects the cost of container shipping

The weight and volume of the transported cargo, the distance of its delivery, and customs duties for transit, if the cargo is transported across the territory of several states, are the main characteristics that affect the cost of a one-time shipment. Long-term rental of container platforms is possible, which reduces the cost of one-time shipments for companies that regularly send container cargo.