International
24. 11. 2021
Austria and the Czech Republic are closely connected – geographically, historically and also through rail freight transport. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) offers comprehensive logistics solutions to and from the Czech Republic. What’s more, from this year, all TransFER connections that we run on our own traction to, from and within the Czech Republic are operated with 100% green traction current from renewable resources.
Eleven million residents, 78,866 km2 in area and 14 self-administrated territorial units: the Czech Republic is our neighbour to the north and has been a part of the EU since 2004. The similarities between the Czech Republic and Austria are numerous and varied and go far beyond the shared penchant for beer and dumplings. Austria has never had such a close relationship going back over centuries with any neighbouring region like it has with Bohemia and Moravia. In freight transport too, Austria nurtures an intensive working relationship with the Czech Republic. As, due to its position in the heart of Central Europe and the hub between the Western, Southern and South-Eastern European countries, as well as the economic markets of the CIS and Asian regions, the Czech Republic is also an important country for transit.
The country is particularly impressive economically. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic has developed very positively and has experienced a robust economic upturn. For Austria, the Czech Republic is the leading trade partner in the import and export sector in Central and Eastern Europe. The Czech economy is heavily oriented towards industry (over 37 % of the GDP is accounted for by industry) and particularly the automobile industry. A large part of the industry is also made up with the creation of modern industrial systems and complexes, which are largely destined for Western Europe and other highly developed countries around the world.
Rail transport in the Czech Republic has a 160-year history. With the length of the route network (approx. 9,620 kilometres) the country is on a par with Switzerland and, discounting the city states Monaco and the Vatican, has the most dense railway network in the world. Most routes are operated by the 100 % state-owned public limited company České dráhy (Czech Rail).
The Czech Republic is an important market for the RCG. Over 300 RCG employees in the Czech Republic primarily handle customers in agriculture or waste management, the timber industry, the chemistry field and the building sector, as well as sea freight, freight forwarding and shipping companies. Our warehouse location in Prague-Malešice, around 30,000 m2 in area, is one of the few warehouses in the surrounding area which is directly connected to the railway network with a railway siding. This offers customers the advantage of directly transporting their goods there without reloading onto trucks. In addition to this, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group operates three container terminals in the Czech Republic at the central locations in Brno, Mělník and Přerov. They are important transshipment centres for freight transport towards Eastern and Western Europe.
The RCG currently provides four network TransFER connections with more than 50 round trips per week. These include the TransFER connections Hohenau–Bohumin/Petrovice, Budapest–Brno, Melnik–Hamburg/Bremerhaven and Paskov–Gdansk. You can find out more in our TransNET.
More information on green traction current in the Czech Republic
