The Budapest-based CER Cargo Group is the new owner of Wiener Lokalbahnen (WLC), a rail freight company that was run by the Austrian capital city of Vienna. The change of ownership should be completed before the end of the year.
“We are pleased to have found a buyer in the CER Cargo Group, who conveyed to us throughout the entire process that they have ambitious strategic plans for WLC”, says Monika Unterholzner, Deputy Director General of the Vienna Public Works Department. “This was very important to us in light of the freight transport business’s long history within the group.”
Reportedly, the Vienna city department had explained that it did not focus on rail freight as a public service, so it looked for a new owner. The difficult situation on the rail freight market was another reason for the sale – WLC has made losses for the last couple of years.
Interoperable rail freight
Vienna started looking for another owner in May 2025 in an open bidding process. CER Cargo Group won the competition. “With WLC, we have brought the ideal addition to our international business into the group”, adds László Horváth, majority owner and Chairman of the Board of the CER Cargo Group.
“This expansion allows us to offer interoperable rail freight transport across Europe. We look forward to working with WLC’s highly qualified employees and to the expertise the company has built up in recent years, particularly in the Austrian and German markets.”
WLC operates 32 electric multi-system locomotives and three shunting locomotives, as well as 245 container wagons. CER Cargo Group has subsidiaries in several southern, eastern and central European countries and sees WLC as “an ideal complement for expanding its interoperable activities in Austria and Germany.”
