About us

History

In October 2019, FRACHTbahn Traktion GmbH was founded on the initiative of industry experts Reinhard Bamberger, Jan Klima, and Ulrich Puz by an investor group led by the Austrian industrialist Hans Peter Haselsteiner. From the outset, the focus has been on providing high-quality and reliable traction services as a Europe-wide operating railway transport company (EVU).

The deployment of our first “own” locomotive in October 2020 marked the start of an impressive success story: from a startup to a relevant player for Central European rail transport services in a short time. The focus is on industry, commerce, and consumers in Europe, and we are proud to be environmentally friendly on the rails week after week!

The strategic vision of gradually expanding our CO_²-friendly services to Italy and to Eastern and Southeastern Europe underscores our ambitious growth trajectory.

Mission

European rail transports are an environmentally friendly transportation solution and a mandate of the hour. FRACHTbahn represents innovation in using scarce resources and infrastructure efficiently to reliably achieve ambitious environmental goals in Europe: availability, flexibility, and delivery reliability for shippers should support the European industry to the best of its ability to meet the political requirements for the transport sector!

With innovative solutions and exemplary flexibility, FRACHTbahn is setting new standards in an industry that has long been dominated by state monopolies and, more recently, by massive upheavals. Our customer-oriented approach deliberately distinguishes itself from traditional, cumbersome structures and promises a future-oriented transformation in freight transport by rail.

This requires people. Teams that are passionate about our goals. Our employees are our DNA – flexible and ambitious, only satisfied when the solution is in place. Every day. 24/7.

FRACHTbahn introduces itself

Our Executive Management

Volker Kohl

Volker Kohl began his professional career after completing his studies in Industrial Engineering and Management – Mechanical Engineering, in the sales department of Rail Cargo Austria AG (ÖBB) as a Key Account Manager, where he worked for five years. This was followed by roles as a project manager at DHL Rail Austria. Volker Kohl gained extensive experience in establishing and developing internationally active railway transport companies during his time from 2007 as Head of Operations and ultimately as Managing Director of TX Logistik Austria GmbH and, from 2014, as Managing Director of Lokomotion Austria GmbH. Since June 2020, he has been the Managing Director of FRACHTbahn Traktion GmbH, responsible for the production sector. Volker Kohl is married and has two children.

Günter Heindl

Günter Heindl began his railway career in 1989 and worked as a locomotive driver until his transition in 1995 to the freight transport sector of ÖBB. As a technician with a degree from a Higher Technical Institute (HTL), he was able to build and successfully apply a very broad expertise in technical, operational, and sales functions in railway logistics until 2009. After subsequent experiences as the General Secretary of the Association of Private Goods Wagon Interests in Austria and as the Deputy Managing Director of Far East Landbridge Ltd., Günter Heindl returned to Rail Cargo Austria AG in 2013 as Head of the Start-Up Department for Corridor Management. After completing the initial setup, he worked as an authorized officer and Head of Products at Rail Cargo Logistics Austria GmbH until 2016. Since 2016, Günter Heindl has been working as a Senior Expert in a broad field of railway technology and logistics consulting at LinkinBiz GmbH. This path led him to join the extended management team of FRACHTbahn Traktion GmbH, overseeing the Finance and Services departments.

Manuel Heindl

Manuel Heindl was born in Vienna. After completing his studies in Logistics and Transport Management at the FH des BFI Vienna, he began his professional career in 2009 in sales at ChemFreight GmbH (Rail Cargo Austria AG (ÖBB)) as a Key Account Manager. This was followed by various sales roles (including Key Account Manager, Team Coordinator, Deputy Department Manager) at Rail Cargo Austria AG (ÖBB) in the Mineral Oil and Chemicals sectors. Since November 2019, the operational start of FRACHTbahn Traktion GmbH, Manuel Heindl has been developing his team as Head of Sales. In addition to his solid industry-specific economic education, he can draw on diverse and profound experiences in sales and international railway logistics.

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