Goldair starts own train operations Greece
ÖBB subsidiary Rail Cargo Group (RCG) and Greek partner Goldair Cargo officially launched their rail freight operations in Greece on June 27. Although the partnership is not new, the joint venture had not ran their own trains on the Greek railway network up till now.
The regular service runs from Gevgelija/Idomeni on the Macedonia-Greece border to Thessaloniki. The first train was hauled by a Class 220 diesel loco, leased from GaiaOSE, and its departure was marked by a ceremony at Sindos attended by Goldair Group Executive Vice President Kallinikos Kallinikos and the Austrian ambassador to Greece Andrea Ikic-Böhm. The joint venture has said it wants to double the volumes on the route.
More services
According to media reports, the two partners intend to invest 20 million Euros in Goldair over next five years, planning to introduce more regular services between ports, logistics centres and border crossings, but also connecting Greece to central Europe. RCG now runs its own operations in eleven European countries. Thus, it is now able to launch a railway connection between Germany and Greece through Bulgaria, the company said.
