Port of Vienna and Helrom receive EL-MO Award 2022
The prize honors innovative companies and projects that are pioneering the implementation of the transport transition for a CO₂-neutral economic cycle. The Trailer Rail loading site at the Port of Vienna, a joint project between Hafens Wien GmbH and Helrom, was one of six award winners. The award was presented by the Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Karlheinz Kopf, and the Austrian Minister for Climate Protection, Leonore Gewessler.
(from left to right) Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler, Roman Noack (CEO Helrom), Monika Gindl-Muzik (Managing Director WienCont), Doris Pulker-Rohrhofer (Technical Managing Director Port of Vienna), WKÖ Secretary General Karlheinz Kopf Photo: © www.annarauchenberger.com / Anna Rauchenberger
Frankfurt, April 11, 2022 - The award ceremony took place as part of the EL-MOTION 2022 congress on April 4 at the Radisson Blu Park Royal Palace Hotel in Vienna. The expert jury selected six companies and projects from the submissions that make a particularly innovative and sustainable contribution to CO₂ reduction and a climate-neutral transport transition. The loading hub at the Port of Vienna for the Vienna - Düsseldorf Trailer Rail connection impressed the jury with its globally unique loading technology, which allows conventional, non-craneable truck semitrailers to be transported by rail quickly and without any terminal.
At the beginning of the award ceremony, Austrian Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler commented on how important an award such as the EL-MO Award is for the public perception of the transport transition: "It is important to bring projects before the curtain that show success, that show how it can be done and how we can organize transport in such a way that it is climate-friendly and emission-free."
The award was accepted by Doris Pulker-Rohrhofer, Technical Managing Director of Hafen Wien GmbH, who has been extremely committed to the realization of the Trailer Rail connection between Vienna and Düsseldorf from the very beginning. "I believed in this innovative project for climate-neutral rail freight transport right from the start. I really wanted to have Helrom at our site," said Ms. Pulker-Rohrhofer at the award ceremony.
"This award proves us right and confirms that we are on the right path to climate-neutral freight transport."
Major CO₂ savings thanks to barrier-free intermodal freight transport
Since the start of operations in 2020, initially in a trial phase and from 2021 in regular operation, around 500 HELROM Trailer Rail trains have already been running on the Vienna - Düsseldorf route. This has shifted 14,000 truck trailers from road to rail. This corresponds to a saving of 8,000 tons of CO₂ emissions. In cooperation with the Port of Vienna, Helrom GmbH will significantly expand capacity on this route over the next few years. In future, 42 trailers will be transported per train, which will save over 25,000 semi-trailer truck journeys between Vienna and Düsseldorf every year - a CO₂ reduction of 15,000 tons per year. "Reconciling ecology and economic efficiency is one of our most important tasks," emphasizes Doris Pulker-Rohrhofer. "And if we want to meet the challenge of the climate targets, the shift from road to rail is a must. Together with Helrom GmbH, we are making a tangible contribution to climate protection and the transport transition by strengthening barrier-free intermodal freight transport."
Confirmation of Helrom GmbH’s corporate goals and growth course
Roman Noack, CEO of Helrom GmbH, also sees this award as an important confirmation of the company's goal of Net Zero Transport: “I am very pleased about this award. Many people in Vienna and Düsseldorf have shown great commitment to the realization of this innovative freight transport solution. Politics and business have recognized the potential and contributed to its success. The great success of the Vienna - Düsseldorf connection exceeds all our expectations and confirms our plans to use HELROM Trailer Rail with larger capacities and on other European connections as well.”
About Helrom GmbH
Helrom GmbH is a rail freight transportation and technology company based in Frankfurt. With our globally patented freight wagon technology, we enable European long-haul logistics to switch between road and rail without any barriers for the first time - without major investments in loading terminals and close to the customer. We are currently operating a very successful connection between Düsseldorf and Vienna with the HELROM Trailer Rail for truck semitrailers, with a logistics catchment area from Hungary, Romania and Serbia to Benelux and the UK. We work for CO₂-neutral freight transport in Europe. Net Zero Transport is our goal.
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