ÖBB Annual Report 2023

21 For a reliable future solution combines rail and road and thus offers the optimum mix. The new RCG swap bodies (WAB), also known as “curtainsider swap bodies”, are used for this. These allow loading and unloading from all sides as well as from above and are suitable for all conceivable goods. This new multimodal service saves numerous tonnes of CO 2 equivalents – a big plus in terms of sustainability, as these transports were previously provided exclusively by truck. The RCG has purchased a total of 300 new WABs to meet the increasing demand. RCG also concluded a framework agreement for 600 container wagons with the Swiss wagon hire company MFD Rail at the end of 2023. In combination with the hydraulic lifting system of the MOBILER, goods can be transferred between train and lorry completely without a crane or private siding. RCG is closing an important gap between road and rail with these flexible and innovative technologies. This gives companies that want to use rail for their transport operations access to RCG’s TransFER products with collection and delivery to the company’s premises – without the need for a siding. Expansion: Full speed ahead! Freight transport proves its strengths over long distances. Internationalisation therefore plays a major role, also in 2023: One milestone was the establishment of our own branch in Shanghai (China), which will significantly speed up the processing of transports. RCG founded its own subsidiary in Belgrade (Serbia), which means that RCG now operates in 13 countries under its own traction management – i.e. with its own staff and locomotives. There are also 16 new intermodal transports via the central corridor as an alternative to the northern corridor. Other highlights include the connection of Ukraine to the RCG network in cooperation with the Ukrainian state railway. Driving digitalisation forward Digitalisation continues to play an important role. MIKE, RCG’s digital logistics platform, supports customers, partners and employees with digital services for all aspects of goods transport and makes the handling of transport – from enquiry to invoicing – simpler, more efficient and more transparent. In 2023, RCG became the first rail logistics provider ever to be listed on Transporeon, the world’s leading transport management platform. Customers use it to request, book and organise rail and intermodal transports and see RCG’s sustainable alternative right next to the usual truck offer. There are also plans to retrieve real-time shipment data and calculate greenhouse gas emissions based on the new ISO standard 14083. < developments and customised solutions form the optimal mix of rail and road RCG: assessed as sustainable Last year, the Rail Cargo Group again received a number of acknowledgments and seals of approval for its CSR measures . imug | Sustainability rating: assessed as “Very good” EcoVadis: fifth rating and “Gold” CSR status for the third time CDP – Carbon Disclosure Project: renewed “B” rating UIC rating: Solid “B” rating in the first UIC sustainability rating FIND OUT MORE in the Manage m ent Rep ort on p ages MR14, MR19, MR24, MR29, MR32, MR42 RCG as the logistical mainstay More freight by rail is active climate protection RCG’s ambition is to form the sustainable logistics mainstay of the European economy with its presence in 18 countries. 5,912 logistics professionals ensure that approx. 1,150 trains reach their destination safely every day; in 2023, this figure totalled 418,857. RCG transports 78.5 million net tonnes worldwide using efficient end-to-end logistics solutions. Moreover, Austria is the European leader with a rail share of approx. 27 percent of total freight volumes.