ERFA Rail Connection Bavaria Meets at ARS Altmann

The members of the ERFA Rail Connection Group Bavaria met at the invitation of the logistics company ARS Altmann AG in Wolnzach to discuss the topic of weed control along rail lines and alternatives to track maintenance, as well as to learn about legal requirements regarding the use of glyphosate. Personal exchange among members was also an important aspect of the meeting.

(Wolnzach) The ERFA Rail Connection was founded in 2013 at the initiative of the partners AnschlussBahnProfis Ingenieurbüro GmbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, and LKZ Prien GmbH, with support from the Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Construction and Transport. The goal is to provide rail connection operators with a forum for exchange and discussion, allowing them to share experiences and challenges regarding their own rail connections in a protected environment and benefit from mutual reports. The ERFA now has over 45 members, with ERFA groups in Bavaria, Lower Saxony (Hanover), and newly in Saxony-Anhalt.

Last week, the ERFA group in Bavaria met at one of its members, ARS Altmann AG, in Wolnzach. ARS Altmann AG, headquartered in Wolnzach, Bavaria, with over 1,000 employees at national and international locations, is a successful logistics and freight forwarding company and has been one of the leading service providers in automotive logistics in Europe for over 40 years.

“We are pleased to host the ERFA conference 2023. With the liberalization in Europe, rail transport is gaining more and more importance. We recognized this development and the associated opportunities early on and have successfully relied on our number one mode of transport for over 20 years,” said Matthias Prochazka, Head of Rail Transport at ARS Altmann AG, in his welcome address.

Prochazka also emphasized the high importance of sustainability: “ARS Altmann AG places great value on sustainable logistics, which is why new logistical solutions for reducing CO₂ emissions have been created and the energy efficiency of the concepts for the business areas RAIL, CENTER, and ROAD has been improved.”

Exchange of Experiences is Important

An important success factor of the ERFA meetings is the exchange of experiences among members. In addition to current topics such as the infrastructure connection agreement, the issue of weed control at their own rail facilities was discussed in detail. Helmut Wiesböck, Managing Director of Logistik Wiesböck GmbH, shared his own experiences regarding plant protection of rail facilities, using his rail facility in Kiefersfelden as an example. He provided valuable tips to his ERFA colleagues based on illustrative images and detailed descriptions of the procedures and application of plant protection measures.

In the afternoon, André Kopp, Railway Operations Manager and Technical Lead for Damage Wagon Management at ARS Altmann, invited participants to tour the premises and rail facilities at the headquarters in Wolnzach. Among other things, the modernized level crossing with the new connecting switch was presented. Kopp explained the planning of an automobile transport up to the execution of the transport and illustrated the challenges that automobile transports face regarding vehicles and wagons.

Current Projects and Results of Working Groups

Finally, ERFA Managing Director Dr. Agnes Eiband reported on current projects and the results of the individual working groups. The manual for rail connection operators, which was first compiled in 2017, has been regularly updated since then. At this ERFA meeting, Eiband presented the latest status and handed over the newly revised documents to each ERFA member on site. The manual is now also available digitally for ERFA members. Additionally, Eiband reported on the status of the Rail Connection Charter, in which the ERFA Rail Connection actively participates and successfully incorporates experiences from the ERFA group into the newly launched charter.

The meeting at ARS Altmann once again provided ERFA members with interesting insights into the operational processes of a rail connection operator. The exchange of experiences was also significant. ERFA moderator Andreas Krapf, project manager at LKZ Prien GmbH, thanked the team at ARS Altmann AG, Matthias Prochazka, André Kopp, Martin Franke, Deputy Head of Rail Transport and Wagon Allocation, and Jörg Frank-Marquardt, Head of Rail Procurement, for the perfect organization and the site visit in Wolnzach.

After the meeting, Dr. Petra Seebauer, Managing Director of LKZ Prien GmbH and responsible for marketing and communication at ERFA Rail Connection GmbH, expressed her optimism: “Today’s meeting, which included the very specific topic of weed control at rail facilities, has once again shown how important personal experience exchange is among rail connection operators. The exchange and discussion in a protected environment about mutual experiences and challenges regarding their own rail connections significantly advances the involved members.”

Support for Ten Years

LKZ Prien GmbH has been supporting the establishment and expansion of ERFA Rail Connection since its founding ten years ago, providing intensive support to ERFA members and organizing and moderating the biannual events in Bavaria in person. Seebauer stated: “We are pleased when even more rail connection operators in Bavaria, as well as far beyond the borders, recognize the advantages and opportunities of ERFA membership, actively participate in the meetings, and benefit from mutual reports. Interested parties are welcome to attend an event as a trial and personally convince themselves of the advantages and opportunities.”

Photo: © LKZ Prien