ÖBB RCG transport vehicles from Spain to Austria sustainably for the first time

Credit: Hödlmayr

The ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) recently organised the first test train for the transport logistics specialist Hödlmayr Rail Logistics GmbH from Barcelona in Spain to St. Valentin/Schwertberg in Upper Austria. In this way, new vehicles could be transported by rail from Spain to Austria in an environmentally friendly manner. Shifting the transport of goods from road to rail is crucial in order to achieve the climate goals in Austria and Europe. After all, transporting a tonne of freight by rail is 30 times more climate-friendly than by truck.

“With the first test train from Spain to Austria and vice versa, we at the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group are demonstrating the efficiency of our rail logistics solutions,” Clemens Först, Board Spokesman for ÖBB, said. “I would like to personally thank our partners Fret SNCF/Rail Logistics Europe and Hödlmayr International for the good and professional cooperation. Together we are laying the foundation for regular and sustainable transfer connections to Barcelona and back.”

“This modal shift, serving the environment, is a new example of the opportunities that rail offers for international transport,” Landry Eymard, Director at Fret SNCF, said. “We must maintain this momentum and expand our competitiveness compared to the road in long-distance transport.”

“With the new transport connection from Spain to Austria, more than 2,100 tonnes of CO2 can be avoided per year compared to transport by truck,” Liudmyla Tarasenko, Managing Director of Hödlmayr Rail Logistics GmbH, said. “For Hödlmayr, the further transfer of our vehicle transports to rail is an essential part of achieving our goals as part of our sustainability strategy, some of which are even more ambitious than those of the EU.”