Red Sofa interview | Audi and Helrom discuss scaling sustainable rail logistics at ALSC Europe

In this Red Sofa interview at ALSC Europe 2025, Dr Reinhard Baller, head of transport planning, inbound at Audi, and Roman Noack, CEO and co-founder of Helrom, discuss the role of rail freight and multimodal collaboration in decarbonising the automotive supply chain.

The discussion highlights Audi’s Mission:Zero sustainability roadmap, which includes a focus on shifting inbound transport to low-emission rail solutions. Audi has launched a block train initiative in partnership with Helrom, ensuring stable, high-volume rail transport for its supply chain. The project has successfully bundled Audi’s freight with other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Skoda and Volkswagen, to maintain full train capacity.

The speakers emphasise the importance of scaling multimodal solutions across different geographies and exploring potential collaborations with other OEMs. By sharing data with logistics providers and neutral third-party organisations, Audi and Helrom believe European manufacturers can build more resilient, low-carbon transport networks.

As sustainability pressures increase, the conversation underscores how collaborative rail freight solutions will be essential for achieving significant CO2 reductions and securing long-term supply chain resilience in the automotive industry.

Watch the full interview to learn more about Audi and Helrom’s pioneering rail project and how they plan to expand multimodal logistics in Europe.