ÖBB Rail Cargo Group and Pasifik Eurasia to develop Eurasian rail freight

ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) and Pasifik Eurasia (PASİFİK EURASİA) have formed a new partnership to develop rail freight transport on the Eurasian continent. The partnership will strengthen the connection between Europe and Asia via Terminal Köseköy, which is a vital link for transport to and from Turkey, as well as further on into the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and China.

Credit: ÖBB Rail Cargo Group

As part of the partnership, PASİFİK EURASİA will forward goods from Asia to Köseköy, where ÖBB RCG will step in to transport them on to the West of Europe. In turn, the ÖBB RCG will also be transporting goods from Western Europe to Köseköy, where PASİFİK EURASİA will pick up the baton and transport them to Azerbaijan, Kazakstan and Uzbekistan, as well as on into China. By doing so, the two companies are strengthening supply chains across the Eurasian continent via sustainable rail transport and subsequently supporting efforts to reach global climate targets.

ÖBB RCG and PASİFİK EURASİA play a leading role in European logistics for transport from China to Europe via Turkey. Seventeen members of RCG’s staff are based in Istanbul, and ÖBB RCG currently provides 10 round trips per week from Europe to Turkey. Most of the trains go to the Halkali Terminal in Istanbul.

Through the cooperation with PASİFİK EURASİA, these trains will also approach Terminal Köseköy on the Asian side of Turkey. Köseköy is one of Turkish State Railways’ (TCDD) 19 logistics centres; it is operated by PASİFİK EURASİA and is the closest freight terminal to Istanbul. The terminal is primarily used by the automotive, steel and wood industries and is a key hub for transport on the Eurasian continent. Turkey has long been declared “the bridge between Orient and Occident”. Its geographical location between Europe and Asia makes it a powerhouse for many European economies and a key strategic market.