RCG’s Wörgl-Trento ROLA service goes daily

Published on 06-04-2021 at 12:33

ROLA train of Rail Cargo Group, source: Rail Cargo Group

After some complete suspension periods, Rail Cargo Group’s Rolling Road (ROLA) service between Wörgl in Austria and Trento in Northern Italy is getting back on tracks with six weekly roundtrips. Travelling through the Trans-Alpine Brenner Pass, the service will keep contributing to cargo’s modal shift from road to rail in the vulnerable Tyrol area.

The service is not new. RCG used the Wörgl-Trento route in the past; however, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the route’s services got reduced and even stopped for specific periods. The latest ban occurred between 4 December 2020 and 17 January 2021. Following this date, ROLA services have revived and seen a growing demand. That is why RCG doubles the number of weekly roundtrips from three to six from 6 April onwards.

Focus on protecting the territory

According to RCG, the extended service will impact the life quality of Tyrol residents as little as possible. All ROLA wagons are running with quiet brakes to protect the area’s fragile balance and abide by the specific corridor’s long-term transport rules.

Specifically, from 2024 onwards, the Kufstein-Brenner railway line passing through Tyrol will transform to one of Europe’s ‘Quieter Routes’. This means that every passing train from the territory must be operating with silent brake pads to reduce noise effects. The specific development practically means that there will be a noisy wagons ban from the area that will equal a halving of noise levels in freight transport.

Wörgl-Brenner route becomes busy

The Wörgl-Brenner corridor constitutes the primary route for ROLA trains between Italy and Austria. Despite the difficulties during 2020, February 2021 saw an immediate increase of transported trucks, equal to almost 30 per cent. Currently, estimations show that the route handles around 24 roundtrips per day.

Nevertheless, RCG reassured its customers that business is not a real problem since there is enough secured capacity for more cargo. However, the company recommends that whoever is interested in ROLA transporting should book in advance to avoid waiting times. Moreover, RCG firmly believes that an extra motive for possible customers will be the reduced prices per truck in the service that cost nine euros less compared to the previous year.

Covid-proof

The Rail Cargo Group also takes some extra measures regarding protection from Covid-19. Since last year’s suspension of services was mainly to prevent the pandemic’s spread, the Austria-based company takes the extra mile to secure operations’ smooth development.

To achieve that, the company constantly monitors the wagons’ occupancy during the trips to ensure that drivers accompanying their trucks always keep their distances and other protection measures. Moreover, all drivers must use FFP2 facemasks, which are considered the safest. Finally, all shared spaces like toilets or cabins get disinfected after every single-direction trip.

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