Delays at the Fürnitz property terminal: new challenges for Carinthia!

Delays at the Fürnitz property terminal: new challenges for Carinthia!

Fürnitz, Österreich - Lately there have been some setbacks for the rail infrastructure in Carinthia. The planned expansion of the Fürnitz property termination is delayed and is now to be completed only in 2029, two years later than originally planned. The ÖBB and the State of Carinthia are still doing everything they can to drive the Logistik Center Austria Süd (LCA-Süd) in Fürnitz. This terminal represents the first cross -border dry port in Europe and is connected directly to the port of Trieste via the newly initiated rail corridor, such as Meindezirk.at reported.

The connection with Trieste is of great importance, since the port has space problems and is the ideal hub of the Baltic-Adriatic and Tauern axis. Despite the commissioning of the shelf corridor in December 2023, however, it can be seen that the use of this connection remains behind the expectations. So far, the possibility of transporting containers from the ship in Trieste via freight trains to Carinthia has hardly been used, such as dispo.cc

delays and future planning

Although the current utilization of the terminal in Fürnitz is only 50 %, there are plans for comprehensive modernization by 2029, which is associated with investments of 72.8 million euros. State Councilor Sebastian Schuschnig and ÖBB boss Andreas Matthä emphasize the need to further expand the infrastructure and to shift freight traffic more from the street to rail. The marketing of the location and the processing of land in Villach-Fürnitz should be promoted.

A new location concept is in the works, which should bring new impulses and use possible EU funding for investments. 30 hectares are planned that are currently managed by different participants such as Babeg, the Carinthian participation administration and the ÖBB. The location for the Fürnitz location is not only positioned as a logistical turntable, but is also part of the core network of the Transe European Transport Network (TEN-V), which is of great importance for future developments.

economic perspectives

The good connection of Fürnitz is also praised by the Italian specialist press, which refers the customs corridor as the "game changer" for Central and Eastern Europe. Despite the challenges, those responsible believe in the strategic value of the project. The property terminal is a key infrastructure in the Alpe-Adria gateway, which shortens the supply chains and lowers CO₂ emissions, as is emphasized in several reports.

An important advantage of the dry port concept is the increase in efficiency of the lake-side supply chains by an average of 12 %. In addition, due to the direct loading process of containers from the ship to Villach without customs procedures, time and cost reductions in the container run of around 12 % could be achieved.

Although there are no immediate successes, the vision remains to position Carinthia as the most important hub in intermodal traffic. The promotion of the logistics know-how and the country's single car promotion should give further impulses so that Carinthia comes to the move during the company settlements and the cross-border freight transport, Carinthia's Chamber of Commerce President Jürgen Mandl is also enthusiastic about the ambitious plans.