Vega’s Innovative Transportation Solutions: Revolutionizing the Logistics Industry

At the Transport Logistic Trade Fair Munich May 2023, Automotive Industries (Ai) caught up with Franz Blum, CEO/Director of Vega International Car Transport & Logistic Trading to ask about some of the exciting new sustainability developments at Vega.

Automotive Industries (AI): Can you tell us more about VEGA’s r2L (roadrailLink) solution for the high&heavy industry and how it helps in reducing CO₂ emissions?

Blum: VEGA’s r2L solution is designed to transport heavy and oversized cargo by a combination of road and rail transport, which significantly reduces CO₂ emissions compared to pure road transport. The solution is particularly beneficial for the high & heavy industry, where cargo can be too big or too heavy for conventional trucks. By utilizing rail transport for a significant portion of the journey, we can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90%.

AI: Can you tell us more about the Lions Express and Iberian Shuttle train setups that VEGA is introducing for the industry?

Blum: The Lions Express train is dedicated to the Traton Group with MAN trucks, and will transport products from their Niepolomice/PL factory to Osanbrück/DE, and most probably also Scania products from their Zwolle/NL factory towards East Europe. This train will save around 7,500 tons of CO₂ emissions per year, with two departures per week initially, and approximately 15,000 units moved annually.

The Iberian Shuttle train is dedicated to IVECO, transporting their products from their production facilities in Suzzara/Italy, where the IVECO Daily is produced, to Madrid/ES, where the S-Way truck is produced. The train will first travel to Barcelona and later to Madrid, using special T4000 bag wagons on the Spanish rail track. This train will save around 5,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year, with one round trip per week and approximately 7,500 units moved annually.

AI: How many trains does VEGA currently have for the high&heavy industry, and how will the two new train setups increase the company’s capacity?

Blum: Currently, VEGA has eight trains per week for the high&heavy industry. With the introduction of the Lions Express and Iberian Shuttle trains, we will have a total of 10 round trips per week, with an annual CO₂ saving of roughly 50,000 tons.

AI: Can you tell us more about VEGA’s “traileruse light connector” for general cargo trailers and how it helps in reducing CO₂ emissions?

Blum: The “traileruse light connector” is a solution developed in partnership with our rail partner, VTG, which enables the easy shift of non-craneable trailers from road to rail. In Europe, there are approximately four million general cargo trailers operated for continental cargo traffic, out of which only 200,000 are craneable, and 3,8 million cannot be directly loaded to rail. This solution helps close this gap, enabling the transfer of non-craneable trailers from road to rail, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions in the process. VTG and its railpartners have already established several lanes in Europe by using r2L

Connectors such as for example from Kaunas in Lithuania to Duisburg/Germany.

The r2L trailuse light connector is fitting in all standard pocket waggons and is a mojor tool

For the modal shift of European continental traffic.

AI: What other projects does VEGA have in the pipeline for 2024 and beyond?

Blum: We are currently working on several projects that will further enhance our r2L solution for the high&heavy industry. These include the expansion of our terminal network, the development of new wagons, and the use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and electric trucks. We are committed to continuously improving our services and reducing our environmental impact towards a ZERO emmission logistics.