ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) was recently at the Brenner Pass as part of the “Connecting Europe Express” initiative. Alongside ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä, well-known politicians were also present. The aim: to put rail in the spotlight.
2021 is the European Year of Rail. Environmentally friendly modes of transport will be promoted in order to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 with the help of the European Green Deal. As a result, the Connecting Europe Express Train, an initiative launched by the EU Commission, is travelling across Europe and stopping at numerous European destinations. The aim is to raise awareness of the advantages of rail – including rail freight transport.
Connecting Europe Express Train
The journey started on 2 September in Lisbon and the train will pass through a total of 26 countries. On Thursday 9 September, it arrived from Bolzano and stopped at the Brenner Pass, before travelling on to Vienna with various stops along the way. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group is pleased to be part of this important initiative for the future alongside several renowned politicians. In addition to Ingrid Felipe, Deputy Governor of Tyrol, Italy’s Vice Minister of Transport Teresa Bellanova and ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä were present at the Brenner Pass.
Transit relief at the Brenner Pass with ROLA
The Brenner Pass is a very important connection for rail freight transport. Because of its transit traffic problems, the Alpine crossing has been a constant source of political debate. RCG is proud to have provided transit relief at the Brenner Pass for many years in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology and the region of Tyrol.
ROLA: trucks transported by rail
With the rolling road (ROLA), freight trucks can cover parts of their journey by rail, while truck drivers can sit back and enjoy a coffee in the comfort of the accompanying passenger carriage. As a result, RCG was able to transport 147,340 lorries by rail in 2020 alone and road traffic was reduced for the local population. Each Wörgl-Brenner ROLA journey is approximately 22 times more environmentally friendly than travelling by road.
A green future is a future powered by rail. The “Connecting Europe Express Train” initiative focuses on the environment. And with every truck that can be transported by rail, RCG is are helping the environment a little bit more.
More information
(Source: Rail Cargo Group)
