Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has added 70 Laaers double-deck wagons purpose-built for electric vehicles to its automotive fleet, with procurement of another 130 units planned for 2027. The Austrian operator says it is one of only two rail logistics providers in Europe running its own car-carrier wagons behind its own locomotives.

Each of the new wagons stretches 31 metres and offers two decks for finished vehicles. RCG says the additions will lift capacity exactly where automakers feel it most: production peaks, seasonal fluctuations and short-term demand surges. For shippers, that means a wider pool of dedicated rolling stock available at short notice rather than reliance on ad-hoc wagon leasing or road fallback.

The timing is not accidental. Electric vehicles impose new requirements and safety standards on automotive logistics, largely tied to battery transport. Wagons designed around EVs give RCG a defensible niche as European new-car output shifts further toward battery-electric models.

Scale of the operation

RCG moves roughly one million finished vehicles a year, plus 600,000 tonnes of components — engines, rims, doors, car bodies and batteries — serving more than 20 production and distribution locations across Europe. That volume makes finished-vehicle logistics one of the clearest rail success stories on the continent.

"Today, around 60% of all new vehicles in Europe are transported by rail. A single car train can carry up to 256 vehicles, replacing more than 30 truck journeys by road," the company said.

That modal share gives OEMs a ready answer to tightening emissions rules and road-driver shortages on continental distribution lanes. It also puts rail carriers in direct competition with short-sea and road hauliers for factory-to-yard contracts, where capacity reliability during launch peaks decides who wins the business.

Multimodal push

The fleet expansion feeds into a broader multimodal strategy. RCG says the new wagons strengthen its door-to-door offer covering both finished vehicles and components, combining mainline rail haulage with first and last-mile road legs.

"This creates stable and sustainable logistics solutions for the mobility of the future," the company concluded.

For forwarders and OEM logistics managers, the signal is that RCG intends to defend and grow its share of European automotive flows at a moment when battery-electric production is rewriting handling requirements. Competitors without owned wagon fleets — and there are few that operate one — face a choice between investing in specialised rolling stock or conceding the EV segment.

The 130-wagon procurement round pencilled in for 2027 suggests RCG sees sustained demand beyond the current order, and the carrier's position will strengthen further as those units enter service on Europe's factory-to-dealer lanes.