Transfracht, a subsidiary of German Railways, will start two rail shuttle services from the port of Rotterdam to the German industrial centres of Duisburg and Dortmund in September. The services each offer five departures of shuttle trains per week from Rotterdam's container port, with a capacity of about 60 teu per departure. Market research was conducted by Transfracht among forwarders, shipping lines and other cargo interests, from which it became apparent that sufficient demand existed for this service. One of the strong appeals of the new service is its connection in Duisburg to the German rail network.