For around 40 years, regular rail traffic has been operated between the port of Hamburg and the Wolfurt cargo terminal. In 2018, around 600 block trains were handled on this trade. This was announced by the speakers at an information event by Hafen Hamburg Marketing (HHM) and Terminal Service Austria in Feldkirch.
In particular the unpaired traffic flows were called a challenge. As before, more “full cans” leave Vorarlberg, while only few “empty cans” are returned, reports Christopher Müller, Managing Director of Rail Cargo Operator (RCO).
As a consequence, the organisers of ocean freight transport are increasingly working on cross-border concepts (Western Austria, Liechtenstein, eastern Switzerland and southern Germany). In doing so, they are responding to the growing reluctance of container shipping companies to continue positioning empty containers from seaports or from Central / Eastern Europe to Western Austria.
In the future, the increased combination of trains from the North Sea ports to eastern Switzerland with return shipments from Wolfurt to Hamburg to other ports can be expected. Apart from that, Rail Cargo Operator will launch a service from Malaszewicze via Budapest to Vorarlberg this October.
