Intramotev Reaches Deal with Austria’s ÖBB for First Foreign Use of its Autonomous Railcars

David Lassen

An Intramotev TugVolt autonmous gondola car. Austria’s ÖBB Rail Cargo Group has reached an agreement to use TugVolt equipment for first- and last-mile service. Intramotev

ST. LOUIS – Autonomous railcar company Intramotev has reached an agreement for ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, the freight division of Austria’s national railway company, for use of Intramotev’s TugVolt railcars.

Use of the TugVolt cars in Austria will be the first international deployment of the railcars and its first use in a regulated environment. It is part of ÖBB’s Self-propelled Autonomous Railcar Integration (SARI) initiative, which seeks to use automated railcars for first- and last-mile service. It is financially supported by Austria’s Rail4Climate program and backed by the R4C consortium.

“Rail is the backbone of industrial economies on both sides of the Atlantic, and ÖBB Rail Cargo Group has long been one of its finest operators,” Intramotev CEO Tim Luchini said in a press release. “That they chose TugVolt is a distinction we don’t take lightly, and we couldn’t be more proud to bring American innovation to Europe’s railways.”

ÖBB Rail Cargo operates more than 1,000 freight trains daily in 18 countries, moving 78.7 billion net metric tons annually.

“Rail Cargo Group’s vision is to be the logistical backbone of the European economy,” said Christoph Grasi, an OBB Rail Cargo Group board member. “Achieving that vision requires embracing the technologies that make rail smarter, more efficient, and more competitive. TugVolt is exactly that kind of technology. This partnership reflects our commitment to innovation and our belief that the future of freight belongs on the rails.”

The agreement with ÖBB follows U.S. agreements including use by Watco in Illinois and the R.J. Corman Railroad Group in Kentucky [see “R.J. Corman to begin …,“ Trains.com, March 30, 2026].