K+S Group said rail freight firm DB Cargo AG will remain the leading logistics provider for the company for the next ten years. The two companies signed the follow-up of the existing contract ahead of schedule, K+S reported on Oct. 26. The contract had been due to expire in February 2025.
DB Cargo currently transports 6 million mt/y for K+S, which accounts for around 80% of K+S’s total rail transportation of potash salts and other mineral raw materials. A total volume of around 70 million mt has been agreed to under the new 10-year contract term.
DB Cargo handles rail logistics for K+S at the Sehnde, Zielitz, Bernburg, Werra, and Neuhof sites. For K+S, DB Cargo transports most of the goods on the Werra and Neuhof routes to the port of Hamburg and from Zielitz to Hamburg.
The new contract also involves the modernization and expansion of the freight car fleet. From mid-2025, DB Cargo will procure a total of 650 new bulk freight rail cars (type Tanoos), which K+S said are particularly well suited for transporting K+S products.
DB Cargo AG is the freight transportation division of Deutsche Bahn and Europe’s leading freight railroad. K+S noted that within Europe and to the seaports, rail freight transportation is the preferred option for the company, with well over 200,000 truck journeys avoided through the use of rail logistics.