“The port of Rijeka is becoming increasingly important for the Central European economy. Our cooperation with Rail Cargo Group, one of the largest European rail transport companies, is very important for us. The cooperation with the Croatian branch is excellent,” says Denis Vukorepa, Director of the Rijeka Port Authority.
Thus high-frequency intermodal connections between the RCG Terminal BILK in Budapest and Rijeka are now to be established, thus ensuring an efficient connection to the growing economic region of Central Europe. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has now been signed between the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group and the port operator Luka Rijeka.
The aim is to increase the transfer of traffic from road to rail, to strengthen the European hinterland network and to further strengthen the Port of Rijeka in order to achieve a sustainable increase in freight volumes to and from the Port of Rijeka. „We are certain that the signed MoU shall strengthen our partnership and enable further development of both RCG and Luka Rijeka“, said Bartłomiej Pastwa, Management Board member of Luka Rijeka.
Rijeka is, along with Koper and Trieste, a central port in the Mediterranean corridor of the trans-European transport networks. The investment volume in the port of Rijeka is considerable. Work is currently underway on the Rijeka Gateway project financed by the World Bank to the tune of EUR 186.6 million. The aim is to further increase capacity at the port and improve the performance and quality of services in the port of Rijeka in order to meet the growing demand for transport. The aim is to develop the Croatian port into a strong intermodal center for the Central European market over the next three to four years.
ÖBB has been operating on the Croatian market for more than 25 years – both with operator services, its own logistics branch and for 3 years also successfully as a railway transport company (EVU). RCG currently operates regular conventional and intermodal connections to and from the port. Almost 1 million tons are handled annually between Rijeka and Austria. Raw materials such as ore and coal are transported.
