West route in Tullnerfeld: ÖBB must accept million losses

West route in Tullnerfeld: ÖBB must accept million losses

The heavy flood events that have been haunted by large parts of Europe in the past few weeks also have significant effects on freight traffic in Austria. In particular, the west route through the Tullnerfeld had to be closed for a long time, which brings massive financial losses for the ÖBB. According to Clemens Först, the head of the Rail Cargo Group, the damage will be in the double -digit million range. Although this amount is significant, it is described as "noteworthy", but described in the "low double -digit million range". However, the freight railway was able to maintain its services and used alternative routes.

"That will rain the balance sheet," commented Först the situation. This could have a negative impact on the balance sheet, but not to the extent that the ÖBB infrastructure subsidiary could be the case. There is a ray of hope in the fact that through rescheduling and the use of the old West route you are able to transport between 85 and 100 percent of the normal amounts of goods. The planned reopening of the Tullner field route on December 15th will further improve the situation.

international effects and adjustments

Even outside of Austria, the flood has affected the transport chains. Countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Italy and Romania were also affected. In order to ensure the transport of household appliances from Turkey to Germany, the Rail Cargo Routen had to change far. This led us to completely redesign the supply chains.

An example is the collection of fuels no longer from the refinery in Schwechat, but from Burghausen in Germany. So that the sugar manufacturer Agrana in Tulln could continue to process his beets, freight trains were led by the opposite Danube side to Krems by diversion. Customers are currently negotiating for the higher costs of the diversions. Först emphasized that the switch to diesel locomotives for up to 20 euros per kilometer redirected can cost.

look into the future

In the coming years, the Rail Cargo Group is facing exciting but challenging times. Extensive diversions are planned on large corridor routes, especially in the run over Germany. Researchers emphasized that the construction of high -performance corridors 2026 will begin, which could temporarily influence the traffic routes. However, this challenge should be better planned compared to a flood in Lower Austria.

The current economic environment remains tense for the freight railway, the second largest in Europe. A total of around 131 million euros in public services flowed into the system last year. The Rail Cargo has just started to become active on Transporeon, an important booking platform in truck logistics, which is an important step in street logistics. Först said that the railway must be able to better cover a growing volume of goods, especially with a view of finished products, containers and food. This requires the use of truck shuttles that establish the connection to the track.