ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) operates more than 460,000 freight trains every year, keeping the Austrian and European economies, and their commercial links to Asia, running around the clock – whatever the weather, on Sundays and public holidays, and over Christmas and the New Year as well. RCG is Europe’s second-largest rail freight transport company. With operations in 18 countries, 12 logistics centres and 16 terminals, it is one of the biggest high-performing logistics service providers in the world.
RCG’s secondary network operators are on duty 365 days a year as well
Representing the great many RCG employees who work even on Sundays and public holidays is a group of people whose work is often hidden from view – the logistic agents. They may work behind the scenes, but they play a decisive role in the smooth running of our transport chains. Logistic agents are mainly responsible for making sure that empty freight wagons are available on time, so that RCG customers can then load the goods to be transported onto them, right on schedule. This is absolutely essential if we are to guarantee that the goods will reach their destination on time. Sabrina and Florian (see picture) work at the Bludenz site in Vorarlberg and have shown huge commitment in their fantastic work for RCG over the last 8 and 9 years respectively. As well as working at weekends and on public holidays, they are also on call at night, from 6.30 pm to 6.30 am in case they’re needed. For them, the motivation is clear: “We really value teamwork, because it’s only by working together that we can serve our customers well.”
Transporting goods by rail is both environmentally sustainable and systemically important.
About 30 % of domestic CO2 emissions come from transport – and the trend is rising sharply. In terms of freight transport, trucks are one of the main emitters. Trucks produce up to 40 times more CO2 emissions than trains in Austria. Europe is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2050 – Austria wants to be there by 2040. Shifting goods transport from road to rail is crucial if we are to achieve this goal of climate neutrality in transport in Austria and in Europe.
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has been keeping the full range of its national and international rail freight transport services running, even throughout the coronavirus pandemic. This has ensured that people and the economy can continue to be supplied with goods. In doing so, we have of course kept to the strictest health and safety guidance for RCG employees and the official regulations. Even when the coronavirus pandemic first broke out in early 2020, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group maintained security of supply. This meant that, in just a few days, even cross-border shipments could be dramatically increased, enabling goods to reach their destinations. When required, additional transport capacity can now be provided (subject to weather conditions). The same is true for the Rolling Road (ROLA) service. Bespoke end-to-end logistics solutions are also available, including the arrangement of first- and last-mile services.
