photo: Dani Naszalyi / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 / Flickr/ÖBB RCG
A red signal turned green for ÖBB Rail Cargo Group this month. With a fresh Single Safety Certificate in hand, the freight operator has started independent operations in Belgium, stitching Zeebrugge and Antwerp into its wider European network.
Read more
A ten-minute flight delay barely raises an eyebrow. The same delay on a train platform? Outrage, memes, and furious tweets about ”DB again.” For some…
According to the RCG press release, the certificate issued by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) covers the Netherlands, Belgium, and the German border area, confirming compliance with EU legal and operational requirements. As reported by RailwayPro and railmarket.com, the approval allows RCG to run services under its own licence and traction, improving cross-border flexibility and network efficiency for shippers across the Benelux.
Certification and Market Entry
RCG says its first train under the new certification arrived in Zeebrugge on 14 October, formally integrating Belgium into the group’s production network (RCG press release; railmarket.com). The inaugural journey departed Roosendaal (NL) and reached the Port of Zeebrugge around midday, a milestone both outlets highlighted. As reported by RailwayPro, Belgium’s addition strengthens RCG’s Western European footprint and unlocks new TransFER connections as part of a broader, sustainable modal-shift strategy.
"With the start of our operations in Belgium, we are strengthening our position as a leading European rail logistics provider and, for the first time, establishing a direct connection under our own traction to the ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp," said Clemens Först, CEO of ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, according to RailwayPro. "This enables us to offer our customers even more services from a single source and to further advance the sustainable connectivity of Europe."
Network Integration and Customer Impact
The ERA approval is more than a regulatory formality; it is a capacity and reliability lever. Operating with own traction reduces handovers at borders and supports standardized safety oversight, which can translate into shorter dwell times and fewer operational contingencies for international customers. As railmarket.com notes, integrating Belgium into RCG’s production map brings the ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp into closer reach of existing corridors, widening Benelux-linked routings for both regional and long-haul freight.
Workforce and Footprint
To stabilise operations, RCG is recruiting train drivers with French, Dutch, and German language skills, and a team lead for the Antwerp site, according to the RCG press release. Employment is handled under Belgian labour law via the Dutch carrier subsidiary, and no additional Belgian branch office is planned—an approach intended to keep the structure lean while the service offer scales.
Europe’s freight market increasingly rewards operators that combine multi-country safety certification, own-traction capability, and port access. With Belgium now live and the Netherlands entity established in 2024, RCG has positioned itself to offer seamless, single-source logistics on a key western axis—an incremental change with outsized effects on transit times and planning certainty for shippers.
Read more
Paris is in the headlines for many reasons this week, but underground, the story is one of progress. Alstom’s brand-new MF19 metro has entered service…