To optimise its international freight trains to Turkey, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has changed the routing of its services.

Instead of travelling from Sladkovicovo, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group’s TransFER service now runs between Sopron in Hungary and Istanbul.

In addition to re-routing the service, its frequency has been doubled to two round trips per week to allow customers better planning options.

With Turkey forming the bridge between Europe and Asia, especially for intermodal trade, Istanbul is integral as a hub for transport to the STAN countries and onwards to China.

The improved service from Rail Cargo Group provides optimised first and last-mile organisation, and extended storage and handling options throughout Eastern Europe.

Rerouting its Istanbul service also provides its customers with more capacity and faster transit times.

Some of Rail Cargo Group’s other TransFER services to Turkey have also been improved, including between Budapest in Hungary and Istanbul, Curtici in Romania and Tekirdag in Turkey, and Genk in Belgium and Curtici.

Budapest to Istanbul TransFER services have been increased from four to five times a week and also provide connections from Zeebrugge, Ludwigshafen, Duisburg, Wels, and Vienna.

The Curtici to Tekirdag TransFER service has been revised to allow customers to plan their schedules better. The service is a key route for transit traffic between Europe and Asia as it directly connects with the port of Tekirdag.

With five round trips per week between Genk and Curtici, TransFER Service provides flexible transport options between Belgium and Curtici in Romania from where there are shorter transit times to Turkey.

Rail Cargo Group provides around 70 TransFER connections to transport goods across the whole Eurasian continent, providing over 1,500 TransFER combinations, and many customisable routes.

Customers can opt for entire wagonloads, intermodal transport, or complete customisable solutions, as well as transhipment, warehouse logistics and customs services.

These can be booked depending on the place of departure and destination, with Rail Cargo Group taking care of all details from the first to the last mile.

During the last year, Rail Cargo Group linked the Serbian rail network to the Adriatic with a direct link between Belgrade and Rijeka, and optimised its TransFER network with Rotterdam to provide direct connections between Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.