Railways simply explained

Industrial sidings

20. 02. 2020

Do you know what industrial sidings are needed for? Do you know how they help make freight transport more efficient and what significance they have for environmentally friendly transport policies?

Every wagonload that is handled potentially leads to delays; every new means of transport potentially results in time spent waiting. However, loading goods from rail to road can also be a burden on the environment.

So how is it possible to avoid this handling process and transport goods directly to the company by rail?

This option not only saves time, but also protects the environment and the climate.

The importance of industrial sidings

Rail freight transport saves a considerable amount of energy and results in fewer pollutant emissions compared to road haulage. The more conditions that are created to enable the wagons to be loaded directly, the fewer truck journeys and costly handling operations there are that have to be undertaken. Industrial sidings therefore have a key function in shifting transport from road to rail and are indispensable for efficient, but, above all, sustainable logistics connections.

Almost half (42%) of transport volumes in Austria are handled by means of industrial sidings every year.

A total of 1,143 are currently operated by the Rail Cargo Group, 743 of which are in Austria and 400 in Hungary. Combined with Hungary, this means 51.9 million tonnes of goods reach their destinations efficiently, on time and in an environmentally friendly manner.

The Rail Cargo Group’s industrial sidings service

With the help of the Rail Cargo Group's industrial sidings service, experts are developing industrial siding projects from the feasibility study through to commissioning railway sidings for individual companies. This end-to-end logistics solution is always tailored to meet the company’s needs and also includes various infrastructure-related services. These include facility inspections and expert assessments to be submitted to the railway authorities, as well as maintenance and servicing for the company's own private siding. This provides the respective company with the best possible connections to Europe’s most important ports, terminals and economic centres.

About the author Alina Huster

was a communicator in the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group