Rail freight · Essen, Germany
Your freight.
On the rails.
Via Cargo Logistics GmbH organises rail transport, from loading, freight, transport and customs clearance to delivery including unloading.
Get in touch- Based in
- Essen
- Founded
- 2009
- Mode
- Rail
- Group
- FS Logistix
Services
From ramp to ramp
We handle your entire rail shipment. You have one contact for every step.
- 1
Loading
We coordinate wagons, loading times and loading at the point of departure.
- 2
Freight
We book capacity and prepare the shipping documents.
- 3
Transport
We manage and monitor the run on the rails, within Germany and across borders.
- 4
Customs
We handle customs clearance for shipments crossing the EU's external borders.
- 5
Delivery
We deliver the goods to the destination on schedule.
- 6
Unloading
We organise the unloading, so the transport is fully completed.
Why rail
Logistics keeps the economy moving
Every day, trucks, trains and ships move millions of tonnes of goods through Germany. Rail carries a large share of that load with far lower emissions.
≈ 1/5
of freight transport performance in Germany runs on rail.
6×
fewer greenhouse gases per tonne-kilometre for a freight train compared with a truck.
+0.8 %
growth in rail freight performance in 2024, against −5.6 % for domestic trucks.
Freight transport performance in Germany, 2024
Billion tonne-kilometres
Road: trucks registered in Germany only. Foreign trucks and pipelines are not included.
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis)
Greenhouse gases per tonne-kilometre
Grams of CO₂ equivalent
Averages for Germany, reference year 2018.
Source: German Environment Agency (UBA)
Network
Europe’s rail network
Around 200,000 kilometres of line connect the countries of the EU. Essen lies in the heart of the Ruhr, close to the major freight axes between the North Sea ports, Eastern Europe and the Alps.
- 200,947 km
- of railway lines in the EU
- 38,691 km
- of them in Germany, the longest network in the EU
- 6 of 11
- EU rail freight corridors run through Germany
Sources: Eurostat (2023), Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur)
- Main lines
- Other lines
- Home of Via Cargo Logistics GmbH
Map data: Natural Earth (public domain), simplified
Railways
From the Adler to today
For almost 200 years, railways have moved goods across Germany. Four stops along the way.
-
1835
The beginning
On 7 December 1835, the “Adler” runs from Nuremberg to Fürth. It is the first railway in Germany.
AI-generated illustration
-
c. 1900
Coal and steel
In the Ruhr, the rail network grows with the collieries. Freight trains carry coal to steelworks, ports and power stations.
AI-generated illustration
-
c. 1970
Electricity and containers
Electric locomotives take over the main lines. The container becomes the standard load unit.
AI-generated illustration
-
Today
Long, electric, connected
Modern electric locomotives haul long trains of tank and container wagons across Europe.
AI-generated illustration
History
Our route since 2009
-
2009
Founded in Essen
Via Cargo Logistics GmbH was founded in Essen in March 2009. From the start, its focus has been rail transport.
-
Since then
One contact for the whole transport
Via Cargo handles rail shipments end to end: loading, freight, transport, customs clearance, delivery and unloading.
-
2023
Part of TX Logistik
In December 2023, TX Logistik AG acquired the Exploris group and became the second-largest rail freight operator in Germany. Via Cargo Logistics GmbH has been part of TX Logistik since then.
-
Today
A company of FS Logistix
Through TX Logistik, Via Cargo is part of FS Logistix, the logistics division of the Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato. The company remains based in Essen.
Contact
Talk to us
Planning a rail shipment? Give us a call or send us an email.
Katernberger Str. 107
45327 Essen
Germany
Managing director
Peter Biskup
Finance Manager / Authorised signatory (Prokurist)
Michael Zborowski