Vienna (OTS) – An innovative turnaround in European freight transport is emerging: a first pilot train over the customs corridor, which is unique in the EU, between the port of Trieste and the Logistics Center Austria Süd in Villach began its journey on December 11th. In the future, the customs corridor will make it possible to transport duty-unpaid goods from third countries from the container ship in the port of Trieste directly by rail to Austria to the Villach logistics hub without a longer stay and only subject them to customs procedures there.
“With the launch of the pilot shuttle, we are taking a decisive step in the modernization of our freight transport. This customs corridor not only strengthens Austria’s position as an economic location and a landlocked country, but also opens up new dimensions in European logistics, in which the Villach hub will play a central role,” said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner.
The operational processing of the corridor, customs clearance and associated customs controls are carried out by the team from the South Department of the Austrian Customs Office (ZAÖ) at the Fürnitz and Villach locations.
ZAÖ board member Heike Fetka-Blüthner highlights the coordination performance: “The challenge lay in coordinating the processes between the various stakeholders. This means that a simplified customs procedure with primarily digital processing is now available, coordinated between the two customs administrations of Italy and Austria. This is intended to ensure both a smooth transport flow and compliance with the rules required for international trade.”
The first train reached Villach Süd on the evening of December 11th and subsequently reached the Villach Süd/Fürnitz terminal area. Austria is thus setting new standards in the European logistics industry and is consolidating its central role in freight transport.
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