ÖBB Rail Cargo Group transports Coca-Cola and Co. in a climate-friendly way
The ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has transported beverages from Coca Cola HBC Austria for one year. For the majority of the transport (main run), the beverage bottles are no longer transported exclusively by trucks, but sustainably on rail.
The drinks are first transported by trucks from the production and logistics centre of the domestic drinks manufacturer in Edelstal (Burgenland) to the Terminal Vienna South. Then it’s off on the main run by rail towards Tirol und Vorarlberg. After arriving, the last mile of the supply chain begins, with the onward journey once again being completed by trucks. From there, the food retailers take care of the local distribution to supermarkets.
RCG Board Member Christoph Grasl is delighted about the cooperation.
– This example demonstrates the strength of multimodal logistics. With it, we are closing the gap between road and rail and saving around one tonne of CO2 per transport. In one year, this has already resulted in 560 fewer truck journeys – to the environment’s benefit – Grasl said.
Felix Sprenger, Supply Chain Director of Coca Cola HBC Austria, emphasized that the company is actively working to reduce its CO2 footprint along the entire value chain.
– We are therefore delighted to have the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group at our side as a partner who is equally committed to this issue. The cooperation allows us to take an important step towards more sustainable rail transport logistics and for our environment.
New equipment for beverage transport
Two-axle flat wagons or new 45-foot swap bodies are used to transport the beverages by rail. The latter are multimodal, meaning that they can be used on both rail and road and can be loaded universally. This means they can be loaded and unloaded from the rear, the sides or from above. This is what sets them apart from a conventional container and makes them easier to transport. They can also be used across all sectors for all goods (e.g. in chemical or automotive logistics).
Coca-Cola HBC Austria supplies the entire Austrian market with Coca-Cola products. The company employs around 800 people in Austria – at its state-of-the-art production and logistics center in Edelstal, Burgenland, and at regional sales centers and distribution warehouses.
