Today, at the Embassy of Austria in Belgrade, Transfera, one of the largest logistics companies in the region, and the Rail Cargo Group, the rail cargo division of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB Group), have signed the agreement on establishing a joint venture in Belgrade. This business cooperation represents a key step towards innovative logistics solutions in the field of the Western Balkans.
The new joint venture, headquartered in Belgrade, will primarily focus on the development of intermodal logistics solutions, which, along with added value for production and trading companies from the Republic of Serbia, will also represent important progress in the field of environmentally sustainable logistics.
His Excellency Christian Ebner, the Austrian Ambassador to Serbia, has pointed out that the improvement of this transport model is another significant step towards the development of transport in the region and Europe and the improvement of bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries, Serbia and Austria.
I am delighted that through the cooperation of ÖBB Rail Cargo Group and Transfera Transport & Logistics, the presence of Austrian entrepreneurship in Serbia is further expanding. With investments of around 3.6 billion euros, Austria is one of the largest foreign investors in the Republic of Serbia, which represents an increasingly important market with a lot of potential, especially in the field of rail transport of goods – pointed out the Austrian Ambassador to Serbia.
Duško Radović, General Manager of Transfera, said: “Our cooperation is a symbol of long-term friendship and trust, resulting in the establishment of a joint venture. Intermodal transport represents the future of logistics and we firmly believe that by combining common resources, knowledge and experience, we can initiate positive changes and set new standards in the industry,” and thanked all attendees for supporting this vision.
Intermodal transport is currently not widespread in Serbia and the Balkans, which makes this initiative even more significant, especially due to the potential for overcoming the limitations of conventional road transport (deficit of drivers, pollution, high costs). Thanks to the initiatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, key steps have been taken in the last few years regarding the reconstruction of railways, modernization and improvement of railway infrastructure. Investments in the construction of intermodal terminals throughout Serbia represent a significant factor for the integration of Serbian railways into the network of the most developed European roads.
Christoph Grasl, a member of the Executive Board of the Rail Cargo Group, points out: “We provide the network, Transfera provides the expertise. Together, we strive to establish sustainable logistics and forwarding solutions for the Serbian market, which has been one of the fastest growing in Europe for years. This makes it easier for the Serbian industry to switch from road to rail transport, which not only benefits the economy, but ultimately our climate as well.”
Karl Atzinger, Managing Director of Rail Cargo Logistics Austria, adds: “Intermodal is the future and together with Transfera, we want to develop customized end-to-end solutions and establish them sustainably in Serbia and beyond. With the development of the joint venture, we are continuing our long-standing successful presence in the Balkans. We look forward to working together and achieving success in a truly promising future.”
