Vienna, 02.05.2022 – Recently, the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) was able to arrange the first test train for the transport logistics specialist Hödlmayr Rail Logistics GmbH from Barcelona, Spain, to St. Valentin/Schwertberg in Upper Austria. New vehicles underwent eco-friendly transportation by rail from Spain to Austria. Shifting goods transport from road to rail is crucial in allowing us to achieve climate targets in Austria and in Europe. Transporting a tonne of freight by rail is 30 times better for the environment than transporting it by truck.
RCG Spokesman of the Board, Clemens Först expressed his delight about the debut journey: “This first test train from Spain to Austria and back demonstrates the capabilities of our railway logistics solutions here at the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group. I would like to personally thank our partners, Fret SNCF/Rail Logistics Europe and Hödlmayr International, for their competent, professional work on this project. Together we have laid the foundations for regular, sustainable TransFER connections to Barcelona and back.”
Fret SNCF Director of Solution Design and partenerships., Landry Eymard, expresses his satisfaction and the group’s pride to contribute to this traffic: “This modal shift, which serves ecology, is a new example of the possibilities that rail offers for international transport. We have to maintain this dynamic and develop our competitiveness with the road for long distance traffic.”
Liudmyla Tarasenko, General Manager at Hödlmayr Rail Logistics GmbH, added: “With this new transport link between Spain and Austria, we can save over 2,100 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year in comparison to truck transport. For Hödlmayer, a continued shift towards rail transport is central to achieving the goals in our sustainability strategy, some of which are even more ambitious than those set out by the EU.”
From the first train to regular operation
The second test train will be announced in the next few weeks, allowing planning for regular operation to finally begin. The current concept plans for one weekly round trip between Austria and Spain. However, the vision for the future involves increasing this to three or four round trips per week. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group organized the whole transport between Spain and Austria. Together with its sister company Captrain Espana, French railway company Fret SNCF operates as the carrier for the section between Saarbrücken and Barcelona. Thanks to the brand-new Euro 6000 locomotives acquired by Captrain Espagna, able to run both in Spain and in France, the trains are routed via the line Perpignan – Barcelona (UIC gauge) and avoid any axles change operations in Cerbère, where the line at UIC gauge connects to the line at Spanish gauge. Transport is faster and seamless.
Fret SNCF
Within Rail Logistics Europe, SNCF’s branch dedicated to rail freight and logistics, Fret SNCF offers rail freight solutions in France and Europe, whatever the field of activities of its customers. Fret SNCF serves over 600 sites in France and provides regular rail freight traffic of high capacity on main economic corridors. With offers dedicated to the automobile industry, chemistry and petrochemicals, metallurgy, construction, minerals, agriculture or consumer goods, Fret SNCF meets the needs of local, national and international freight transport. With 4700 employees, Fret SNCF is the first rail freight operator in France, carrying more than 17 billion of tons-km every year and contributed to the Rail Logistics Europe’s turnover of 1.59 billion euros in 2021. By offering innovative and competitive services, Fret SNCF is committed to increasing the modal share of rail freight in the European freight transport in order to fight global warming.
Rail Logistics as part of the Hödlmayr Group
Hödlmayr Rail Logistics GmbH is a subsidiary of Hödlmayr International AG and transports around 250,000 vehicles by rail every year. It also makes a key contribution to achieving the sustainability goals of the entire Hödlmayer Group. As a globally operating family company specialising in vehicle logistics, the company has expertise at every step of the supply chain, from the acquisition of the vehicles ex works or from ports of entry, through to delivery to the vehicle dealer or fleet owner. Furthermore, the Hödlmayer Group offers its automotive customers various special services for the “refinement” of vehicles. Hödlmayr International AG, and its subsidiaries in 16 countries, employ nearly 1,600 people. In total, the group owns over 580 special vehicle transporters, 20 block train concepts and 1.3 million m2 of storage space for 55,000 vehicles. They supply around 1.7 million vehicles every year. Hödlmayr acts as a releasing agent at six car factories and handles one million new vehicles per year. As a whole, the group recorded 250 million euros of turnover in 2021.
Rail Cargo Group: the freight transport division of the ÖBB
As a leading rail logistics company in Europe, we are shaping the industry. 365 days a year – 24 hours a day. Across Europe and beyond into Asia. We connect people, businesses and markets – from the first to the last mile. We are present in 18 countries – in 15 of them with our own employees. It’s thanks to our 5.755 logistics professionals from 34 nations that 463,000 trains a year, respectively 1,270 a day, reach their destinations safe and sound. With our efficient end-to-end logistics services, we transport 94 million net tonnes of freight each year. A modal share of 28 % (preliminary value) of the total freight market in Austria makes us top of the league in Europe. Operational management of the Rail Cargo Group lies with Rail Cargo Austria AG.
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Press contacts:
Ing. Bernd Winter, MSc
ÖBB Holding AG, Group Communications
Press Relations Officer
Tel.: +43 1 93000 32233
bernd.winter@oebb.at
www.oebb.at
Julien Kauffmann
Fret SNCF - Rail Logistics Europe
Press Relation Officer
Telefon: +33 6 25 40 75 02
julien.kauffmann@sncf.fr
www.sncf.com
Mag. Marlene Forrai
Hödlmayr International AG
Head of Corporate Marketing & Communication
Telefon: +43 664 6144740
marlene.forrai@hoedlmayr.com
www.hoedlmayr.com