A new rail freight service from Austria to China departed in the eastward direction this morning. It is a test journey from Vienna to Xi’an with Shanghai as the final destination. The service was brought to the market for the Austrian fiber producer Lenzing AG.

The train departed this morning at 11am from Vienna South station. It is expected to cover 10,460 kilometers in 16 days, offering a faster alternative between Austria and China. “With this new transport route we can more quickly meet the high demand from our customers for sustainably produced fibers. Thanks to rail transport, the urgently needed fibers reach our customers in China twice as quickly as by sea”, says Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group.

Partnership

The departure of the train was escorted by Leonore Gewessler, Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, His Excellency Xiaosi Li, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Austria, Stefan Doboczky, Chairman of Lenzing Group, Thomas Kargl Board Member of ÖBB Rail Cargo Group and Erwin Cootjans, CEO Nunner Logistics.

Erwin Cootjans, CEO of Nunner Logistics commented: “We are proud to connect Vienna to our Chinese rail network, in addition to the direct trains we already have. The new connection makes it easier for our industrial and logistics clients from Austria and the surrounding countries to transport their goods to and from China.” The initiators expect that trains with Lenzing products will run regularly from Austria via Xi’an and to the final destination of Shanghai.