VTG wins “German Transport Transition Prize”: Actively driving the modal shift with r2L technology

A panel of independent experts representing practitioners and the scientific community praised the roadrailLink (r2L) technology for its innovative nature and huge potential to realize the modal shift. r2L was thus singled out as a best-practice example of sustainable transport and mobility.

“As a leading international wagon leasing and rail logistics company with the largest privately-owned fleet in Europe, VTG is actively driving the transport transition,” says Sven Wellbrock, Chief Operating Officer Europe and Chief Safety Officer at VTG AG. “We want to get rail fit for the future. And we want to give our customers solutions that are easy to adapt and slot into their supply chains. So we are delighted to have our work recognized in this way and to win the “German Transport Transition Prize”.”

Active contribution to the transport transition
Together with logistics provider VEGA International and vehicle manufacturer Kässbohrer, VTG has developed a solution that enables hitherto non-craneable semitrailers to travel by rail. “Some 95 percent of all semitrailers in the EU are still non-craneable, which means they are not suitable for combined transport,” explains Jakob Öhrström, Managing Director and Head of the Intermodal Center of Competence at VTG Rail Europe. “The r2L transshipment and transport technology enables freight transport to be shifted simply and with immediate effect from road to rail.” The r2L ramp means that 97 percent of all truck trailers that were hitherto non-craneable are now craneable. It is a fully galvanized loading ramp onto which the trailer can be driven. A terminal crane or reach stacker then lifts the ramp, complete with the trailer, onto a double pocket wagon.

This technology thus adds value for the environment, makes transport more seamless and can already cut CO₂ emissions today. As a reference point, an average truck consumes 33 liters of diesel per 100 km and generates 2.615 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per liter of diesel. Based on this data, every single r2L ramp can save up to 200 tons of CO₂ emissions per year. These numbers once again underscore VTG’s commitment to working with the forwarding industry to actively support the European Union’s climate targets – and actively drive the modal shift from road to rail.