Gebrüder Weiss & Rail Cargo Austria get road traffic running on the railways

In 2007, Gebrüder Weiss started switching groups of trucks between Vienna and Hall and Vienna and Bludenz to transport by rail. RailCargo Austria, the logistics subsidiary of the ÖBB, was and continues to be partner for this project. Sound experience in intermodal transport encouraged the logistics services provider Gebrüder Weiss to expand the system and to offer their own dedicated single train service to the market from 2008.

9000 tonnes less in CO2 emissions per annum
Gustav Poschalko, Board Director of Rail Cargo Austria AG, says: "After an intensive phase of planning and negotiation, it was possible to realise a proposal that suited the market. In particular, the terminals at Bludenz, Hall and Vienna North West had the difficult task of handling the new single train in addition to existing traffic at peak times without any losses in service quality.”

From 7.1.2008, this transport will be made by a new single train between the terminals in Vienna North West and Bludenz with an unloading stop at the Hall terminal in the Tyrol, thus saving 9,000 tonnes of CO². Since goods trains essentially run during the night, departures will be made on Monday to Friday during the evening, with arrival of the trucks on the following morning.

Fast and ecofriendly
This will be performed by 2 shuttle sets that will rotate between Vienna and Bludenz (Hall). The trains will be configured as a total of 2 shuttles, each with a capacity for 66 swap body trucks. This will provide a weekly capacity of 660 swap body trucks on the key East-West axis. With full utilisation, 33,000 swap body trucks per annum will be transported by rail quickly thus sparing the environment and neighbours from 16,500 truck trips by road.

Wolfgang Niessner, CEO of Gebrüder Weiss commented: "In realising this project, we did not just have economic objectives in mind but were also considering aspects relevant to the market and the environment. We are reducing the strain on the road, cutting the annual CO2 emissions by 9,000 tonnes and have consequently undertaken a further step in our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility programme).”

Top quality provides top customers
For this project, Gebrüder Weiss has secured the trading company Billa, Bipa, Merkur and Penny Märkte (Rewe Group Austria) as largest customer and, with its dedicated shuttle, has shifted a high proportion of road traffic to rail. Any extra available space will mean further capacities in intermodal traffic on top of the existing nocturnal single truck traffic.

Parallel to this project, Gebrüder Weiss is also starting single truck transports between the Upper Austrian region and Vienna. With appropriate acceptance, an increase in traffic volume can also be expected here.