Railfreight’s future
Concerns about passenger traffic; opportunities in the Swiss market. Ongoing developments in the railfreight segment worry European logisticians, as passenger transport continues to be prioritised, for example. Innofreight’s Peter Wanek-Pusset nevertheless sees railfreight opportunities for specialised players.
Many managers are concerned about the latest developments in European railway companies, especially the big players. Peter Wanek-Pusset, the managing director and owner of Innofreight in Austria, is also concerned that many railway companies seem to be focusing heavily on the expansion of infrastructure and passenger transport, and aren’t giving freight transport the priority it requires. He said that he has “the impression that there isn’t a clear political will to support rail in the freight transport field.”
The railways have a lot of catching up to do, however, especially in the railfreight segment. Many railway lines’ rolling stock is somewhat outdated and there’s hardly any visible investment going on in their renewal. This shouldn’t be considered criticism, but a perception of today’s developments.
If the modal split is to change in favour of the railways and more goods are to be transported by rail, then politicians should also be prepared to support the renewal of railway companies’ outdated wagon fleets with public subsidies.
Shaping the future in Switzerland
The Austrian railway logistics enterprise Innofreight itself is also investing. It has long since mutated into a full-service logistics provider, from its original focus as a company that develops as well as produces wagons and containers.
Its investment in research and development amounts to 3–4% every year of its annual sales (which came to about EUR 200 million in 2023, see page 14 of ITJ 49-52 / 2023). This has resulted in no less than three new types of containers, for example, including the firm’s ‘DryTainer’, ‘CemTainer’ and its ‘WireStanchion’ system to haul moisture-sensitive goods, cement as well as stacked bundles of wire rolls.
Wanek-Pusset draws a positive balance when looking back on the company’s overall trajectory to date. “We developed the idea of separating wagons and loading equipment, we’re amongst the pioneers and the market leaders in this field, and we want things to stay that way.”
These developments are leaving their mark on Europe too. There are a lot of Innofreight wagons to be seen in the port of Hamburg, for example. Around 2,000 of them are used to transport raw materials from the port to the European hinterlands.
In Switzerland, Innofreight has worked closely with SBB Cargo for 20 years. The market is considered difficult, because there’s no heavy industry, apart from two steel mills, one of which is already an Innofreight customer. A paper mill and a chipboard plant are two other shippers that use Innofreight equipment.
Giorgio Mauro, of Innofreight Swiss, told the ITJ that “the only bulk cargo industry in Switzerland is the construction industry. We focus on various large construction projects where our clients need our units to transport excavated volumes as well as building materials.”
The great flexibility of Innofreight’s equipment makes it possible for the Austrian corporation to offer its clients suitable solutions in Switzerland. The country thus remains an interesting market for niche providers.