ÖBB RCG increase freight transport to Belgium and Scandinavia

Credit: ÖBB RCG

ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) have announced that they are increasing round trips from Linz to Belgium and Scandinavia to meet the demand for sustainable rail freight transport from Austria to Northern Europe. This will also allow for speedy connections to economic regions in Northern, Central and South Eastern Europe. Other benefits include the possibility of linking up with ports in Northern and Southern Europe and with deep-sea shipping routes, which will enable freight to be transported onwards.

RCG has been connecting Linz with the Belgian port areas of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Ghent, as well as with the extensive industrial zones throughout Belgium. In view of the growing demand in the steel, chemical, mineral oil, paper and building materials sectors, RCG is increasing the frequency of this connection to six round trips per week. This means that RCG is now transporting wagonloads of freight (including dangerous goods) between Austria and Belgium on an almost daily basis, non-stop, with a transit time of just one day.

At the start of 2022, RCG started transporting freight from Linz via Rheinkamp (near the German city of Duisburg) to Malmö in Sweden and back to Wels. Usage of this service has been growing all the time, especially for transports of steel, paper, and consumer goods. That is why the TransFER service, which also enables dangerous goods to be transported, is now being increased to three round trips per week. Goods can also be added to the train at Rheinkamp (on the way to Scandinavia) or diverted off towards other destinations (for example within Germany or to France, Belgium or the Netherlands) on the way back.