Mercancías al tren – Freight belongs on rail

"Freight belongs on rail": The distinctive green container with its important message has been on tour in Germany for several years. But it's not just in Germany that DB Cargo is publicising the importance of rail freight transport; containers bearing the slogan in other languages are on the road in other European countries as well.

UPDATE: DB Cargo brings green logistics to Bilbao

On 27 and 28 June, the Itsas Museum Bilbao was dedicated to sustainable logistics: the green container of DB Cargo's "Freight belongs on rail" campaign - "Mercancías al tren" in Spanish - made a stop there to highlight the importance of shifting freight transport from road to rail and multimodal short sea shipping. The event in Bilbao is the seventh stop in Spain and part of a European campaign. Organised by DB Cargo and Transfesa Logistics, in cooperation with various institutions and companies, the initiative aims to highlight how essential the train is for a CO2 -free supply chain.

The campaign container at the Itsasmuseum Bilbao, one of the city's most central locations.

Sustainability takes centre stage
Samuel Nevado, Transport Director of Transfesa Logistics Group, emphasised the strategic importance of Bilbao as a logistics hub for the initiative and highlighted the impressive benefits of transporting freight by rail: "Rail transport saves up to 80% of CO2 emissions, causes 85 times less human damage and consumes six times less energy." 

A call to action
Spain has set itself a more modest target than the European average, but a 10 per cent share of traffic by 2030 remains ambitious: Currently, the rate is stagnating at around 4 per cent. Little has changed since the liberalisation of rail transport in 2005, but initiatives such as this could provide the necessary impetus. DB Cargo is therefore appealing to public institutions, the corporate sector and society to utilise the benefits of rail transport. The event in Bilbao demonstrates the importance of environmentally friendly transport solutions: The future of logistics is on the railway!
 

Freight belongs on rail in Spain and the UK, too.

The green containers have been travelling to events, public places and trade fairs around Spain and the UK since 2022, showing the important role rail freight transport plays in protecting the climate. With information, exhibits and videos, Transfesa Logistics and its campaign partners are working to raise awareness about the issue among the public and policymakers. In Spain, too, freight belongs on rail. In the United Kingdom, the campaign was taken directly to 10 Downing Street to encourage the prime minister and his cabinet to set a growth target for rail freight transport, which would be a first in the UK. The campaign has met with such strong support that the British government has now committed to such a growth target to support the decarbonisation of transport in the UK.

The green container on tour through Spain and Great Britain

Click to skip the following slider

  of 4

End of the slider

Among the best: Campaign reaches award finals

Transfesa Logistics (DB Cargo's Spanish subsidiary) and DB Cargo UK have also put the message on green containers. On the Iberian Peninsula, they say "Mercancías al tren". And so as not to be alone in spreading the word about shifting traffic to rail, Transfesa Logistics and DB Cargo UK have brought other companies in the industry on board to drum up support for green logistics. 

Because of the campaign's relevance for a climate-neutral future, Transfesa Logistics and DB Cargo UK entered the World Public Relations & Communication Awards 2023 with their respective slogans ("Mercancías al tren" and "Freight belongs on rail") – and reached the final round. By combining a strong visual impact and an important message, their campaign convinced the judges and generated more valuable attention for rail freight transport.