ÖBB Invests €37 Million in the Full Expansion of the Vienna South Freight Center
ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG is investing approximately €37 million in the final phase of expansion of the Vienna South freight center, aiming to increase its capacity and performance significantly. With this project, ÖBB aims to meet the growing demand for freight transport and shift an even larger proportion of goods transport from road to rail.
Around 380,000 containers are handled annually at the ÖBB freight center in Vienna South. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Petr Štefek / CC BY-SA 3.0 CZ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/cz/deed.en)
Currently, around 380,000 containers are handled at the freight center each year. The full expansion, which according to ÖBB is to be completed by the end of 2026 and put into operation at the beginning of 2027, will increase capacity by 44 percent to an impressive 547,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). This is expected to result in savings in the four-digit range in terms of truck journeys and to strengthen the competitiveness of rail freight transport in the long term.
The expansion work includes the laying of additional tracks and switches. Once completed, the terminal will have a total of eight loading tracks, each 700 meters long. In addition, the automation of the existing gantry cranes and the construction of an additional crane system will significantly increase handling efficiency.
The freight center, which ÖBB describes as the “main station for freight transport,” is strategically located on the southern outskirts of Vienna. Thanks to its direct connection to the S1 expressway, the southern railway line, and three important trans-European rail axes, it is a central hub in the European transport network and enables fast connections to major economic centers.
The terminal, which went into operation in December 2016, is operated by Terminal Service Austria (TSA), a division of ÖBB Infrastructure, and specializes in the transshipment of containers, swap bodies, and semi-trailers in unaccompanied combined transport. With the completion of the expansion, the site remains on course for growth and strengthens Vienna's position as a logistics hub.