Rail Cargo Group’s container rail shuttle between the Austrian municipality of Wolfurt and the Port of Rotterdam is expected to reach an all-time high in 2021, with over 18,500 TEU transported.
This number reflects an increase of more than 170% since the Wolfurt–Rotterdam TransFer service started in 2016, when it carried 6,686 TEU, according to a representative from the Austrian rail transport company.
“The growth since, can be attributed on the one hand to the attractivity of the port itself,” stated Berhard Ebner, business unit manager intermodal of Rail Cargo Group, referring to the Port of Rotterdam.
Currently, the service offers three weekly roundtrips. Two of them connect Wolfurt which is located in western Austria, close to the border with Switzerland, with Rotterdam via Kufstein in Austria and back.
As for the third roundtrip, it links the Dutch port with Wolfurt via Frenkendorf in Switzerland.
“We are merging the Swiss import surplus with the export surplus in the Vorarlberg region,” in order to open up a greater volume of traffic to the economy in the Lake Constance region, said Ebern.
“Both Switzerland and the Lake Constance region are regions with a robust economy and the port of Rotterdam is a strong partner to connect them to the rest of the world,” he added.
Referring to the future, Ebern noted, “Next year we’ll be adding extra connections from Frenkendorf and Niederglatt to Wolfurt, with direct access to Rotterdam. For 2022 and 2023, we have set our sights on continuing the volume growth of the past few years.”
