ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) transported 61.9 million tonnes of goods in and through Austria in 2025, accounting for around 64.3% of all freight moved on the country’s rail network.
According to the latest data from Statistics Austria, total rail freight volume in Austria reached 96.2 million tonnes in 2025, showing slight growth despite a difficult market environment marked by industrial weakness and strong road competition.
The figures underline Austria’s relatively strong rail freight position compared with the wider European market. While the average rail modal share in Europe is around 18%, Austria reaches approximately 28%, supported by long-term transport policy and investment in rail freight.
RCG says its 2025 rail volumes helped avoid around 2.48 million truck trailer journeys on Austrian roads, based on an average load of about 25 tonnes per truck trailer. The company points to reduced congestion, lower emissions and improved road safety as key benefits of keeping freight on rail.
Beyond Austria, RCG remains active across 18 countries, including 14 where it operates with its own traction. In 2025, the company recorded total transport performance of 26.2 billion net tonne-kilometres across domestic and international operations.
Christoph Grasl, Member of the Board of ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, said the current economic environment shows the importance of a strong European rail freight network for supply security, competitiveness and climate protection.
He also warned that further modal shift will require fairer competitive conditions between rail and road and better cross-border infrastructure coordination. “Driving a train through Europe must become as simple and efficient as driving a truck,” Grasl said.
RCG operated around 407,500 freight trains in 2025, equal to roughly 1,116 trains per day, and generated revenue of €2.09 billion.
For the European freight sector, the Austrian figures are a reminder that rail can retain a strong market role where policy support, infrastructure investment and international operations are aligned. At the same time, RCG’s comments show that the sector still sees cross-border complexity and road competition as key barriers to further growth.
