The 51st IBS Congress, held on 11-12 April in Helsinki, Finland, brought together industry leaders to explore new opportunities for rail freight across Europe. Under the leadership of Olaf Krüger, who recently took up the role of Chairman again, IBS is stepping up its efforts to revamp Europe's single wagonload network and drive innovation in multimodal transport.
During the summit, VR FleetCare, part of the Finnish national railway VR Group, presented its current activities and future goals. The company is actively promoting the production of wagons for both the Finnish 1524 mm gauge and the European 1435 mm gauge to serve a wider market. VR Transpoint is also focusing on improving multimodal transport solutions and increasing cooperation with the Baltic States and other European ports to increase freight volumes to and from Finland.
The summit also welcomed new members to the IBS fold, including Rail Cargo Group, Ernst Frankenbach GmbH, CFL Multimodal and Vossloh RailWatch GmbH.
And just one of the new members, Rail Cargo Group, presented its new Scandinavia-Italy project corridor as part of TransNet, using existing cross-terminals in Central Europe. The group also showcased its 'Mobiler' system, which facilitates the easy transfer of containers and swap bodies between trucks and trains, providing a vital link between broad-gauge and European standard gauge railways.
ECL, an intermodal operator from Lübeck, presented its rail-ferry connections, including new services to Finland, while Nordic Stream discussed plans for a new rail-ferry link across the Baltic Sea. CargoBeamer highlighted its innovative solutions for transporting various types of semi-trailers, emphasising the flexibility and efficiency of its intermodal transport systems.
LTG Cargo outlined its strategic developments in Central Europe and Ukraine, including its involvement in the Rail Baltica project, which aims to integrate the Baltic States more closely with the rest of Europe.
CFL Cargo discussed its expansion in intermodal transport and the role of its Bettembourg-Dudelange terminal in Luxembourg as a key economic driver in the region.
Ralf-Charley Schultze of the UIRR gave an update on the EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), focusing on the development of infrastructure capable of supporting heavy electric freight trains. Olivier Genkin of AcceleRail presented the Rail Capacity Broker project, a new initiative in partnership with IBS to improve the single wagonload system in Europe.
The next IBS meeting is scheduled for October in Istanbul, promising more insightful discussions on the future of rail freight. Regular updates will be available on RAILMARKET.com to keep stakeholders informed of the latest developments in the industry.
