For five years, the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has linked the Lake Constance region to Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This year, RCG aims to transport a record freight volume of 18,500 TEU via the successful TransFER Wolfurt–Rotterdam, compared with 16,600 TEU in 2020 (“TEU” stands for Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, i.e. 20-foot standard container). Since the introduction of the TransFER, the number of freight trains and TEUs transported on this route has increased by around 70%.
3 round trips per week between Wolfurt and Rotterdam
Currently, three round trips operate per week, with all manner of goods being transported in containers on the sustainable rail route from Wolfurt to Rotterdam via Kufstein and back. There are two round trips per week from Wolfurt to Rotterdam via Kufstein and back. The third round trip leads from Rotterdam to Wolfurt via Frenkendorf in Switzerland. Loading and unloading is possible in Frenkendorf. This means freight can be carried from Frenkendorf to Wolfurt for onward transport via the dense intercontinental RCG freight transport network.
In addition to this TransFER, the RCG offers freight services to the North German ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven as well as the Adriatic ports of Koper in Slovenia and Triest in Italy.
Extension to Eastern Switzerland and beyond
As from the beginning of 2022, the Vorarlberg rail link will be extended to Eastern Switzerland. A new TransFER will then connect the Wolfurt terminal with the Swiss terminals in Frenkendorf and Niederglatt – initially three times a week. Thanks to this partnership, the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group will be able to offer businesses in the Lake Constance region more frequent services not only to Rotterdam, but also to Belgium (port of Antwerp) and Italy (ports of Genoa and La Spezia).
