© RCG/Payr
Güterzüge und Container in Istanbul
(Vienna, 24 March 2025) – ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) is setting new standards in international freight transport and improving its services for transports to and from Turkey. A key innovation: TransFER Sladkovicovo–Istanbul has been switched to Sopron–Istanbul and now runs to and from Hungary. The frequency of the connection will be doubled to two round trips per week. Customers will benefit from improved planning, optimised first and last mile organisation and extended storage and handling options throughout Eastern Europe.
Turkey is a central logistics hub and forms the bridge between Europe and Asia, especially for intermodal trade. Istanbul plays a central role as a hub for transport to the STAN countries and onwards to China. That’s precisely where RCG comes in with its improved offering.
Optimised connections to and from Turkey In addition to switching to TransFER Sopron–Istanbul, existing connections have also been optimised. As a result, RCG offers its customers even more capacity and faster transit times on these important trade routes.
- TransFER Budapest–Istanbul: This TransFER will now run five times instead of just four times a week. Zeebrugge, Ludwigshafen, Duisburg, Wels, Vienna and Budapest are also connected via antenna links.
- TransFER Curtici–Tekirdag: The timetable has been optimised, enabling customers to plan their schedules more easily and reliably. Thanks to its direct connection to the port of Tekirdag, this route remains a key hub for transit traffic between Europe and Asia.
- TransFER Genk–Curtici: RCG also offers flexible transport options between Belgium and Romania with five round trips per week between Genk and Curtici and shorter transit times for transports to Turkey.
With these innovations, RCG is strengthening its position as a leading provider in intermodal trade between Europe and Asia and as the market leader in Turkey, offering its customers even greater efficiency and reliability.
TransFER – the connectionThe ÖBB Rail Cargo Group transports goods across the whole Eurasian continent with around 70 TransFER connections, more than 1.500 TransFER combinations and many customisable routes. The transport units vary from entire wagonloads and intermodal transport through to complete customisable solutions. Additional freight services such as transshipment, warehouse logistics and customs services can be booked according to the place of departure and the destination. The RCG takes care of all the details – from the first to the last mile.
About ÖBB Rail Cargo Group: The Freight Transport Division of the ÖBBAs a leading rail logistics provider in Europe, we are shaping the industry. 365 days a year – 24 hours a day. Across Europe and beyond into Asia. With our presence in 18 countries, we connect people, businesses and markets – from the first to the last mile. It’s thanks to our 5,912 logistics professionals that 419,000 trains a year, respectively 1,150 a day, reach their destinations safe and sound. With our efficient end-to-end logistics services, we transport over 78 million net tonnes of freight each year.
ÖBB
ÖBB has been shaping mobility in Austria for 100 years. As a comprehensive mobility and logistics service provider, ÖBB transported a total of 494 million passengers and over 78 million tonnes of freight to their destinations in an environmentally friendly manner in 2023. This is thanks to the electricity for trains and stations being generated entirely from renewable energy sources. With a punctuality rate of 95% in passenger transport, ÖBB is one of the most punctual railway operators in Europe. ÖBB invests more than 4.5 billion euros annually in railway infrastructure and its fleet as part of its drive to build a railway system fit for the future. Across the Group, over 43,000 bus and rail employees and about 2,000 apprentices ensure that around 1.4 million passengers reach their destination safely every day. ÖBB is the backbone of the Austrian public transport system and, as Austria's largest climate protection company in the mobility and logistics sector, gets people and freight to their destinations safely and in an environmentally friendly manner. The strategic lead company of the group is ÖBB-Holding AG.