The hurdles are huge: rail is still not competitive with road transport when it comes to transporting goods. For reasons, the running costs of the sidings have been reduced again in recent years.

Now the trend is going in the other direction: “More and more customers are asking how we transport the goods,” reports Martin Sigl, logistics manager at Binderholz, with headquarters in the Tyrolean Zillertal and three plants in Salzburg, about increasing environmental awareness.

New funding model since 2020

The state of Salzburg wants to accelerate the rethinking and has been paying companies that have a railway siding 200 euros per loaded single wagon since 2020. Around 30,000 trips were funded. “The balance is positive. We will continue to expand the funding, ”informs Transport Councilor Stefan Schnöll (ÖVP). Is increased to 240 euros. Transports via public sidings will also be eligible for funding in the future.

Of the 40 existing sidings in Salzburg, 28 are currently in operation, 25 of which are applying for funding. The state contributed one million euros in two years. Other federal states, such as Carinthia, have already shown interest in the funding model.

Schnöll: “It’s important to me that we keep the number of connections.” The aim in Salzburg, however, is to reactivate abandoned railway connections. Discussions are ongoing with companies.