Rail freight from China to Austria 2026: LCL groupage, transit and charges
China to Austria rail LCL: Vienna and Linz groupage per CBM (updated 5 November 2026)
Groupage by rail, priced per cubic meter, station to CFS. These are our all-in Austrian rates for the current schedule and already include our USD 30 per CBM service fee.
Austria gets two CFS points from Xi'an at 16 days: Vienna on the direct train, Linz relayed through Prague. Vienna is the stricter of the two — single pieces over 3 metric tons are not accepted on that lane, so heavy machinery has to be broken down or routed through Linz and trucked. Both lanes carry the Prague relay's T1 and customs-clearance charges where the box is re-marshalled.
| Origin station (China) | Destination CFS | Rail LCL rate (USD/CBM) | Cargo cut-off | ETD | Transit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xi'an | Vienna direct | USD 230 | Sat / Tue | Wed / Sat | 16 days |
| Xi'an | Linz via Prague | USD 225 | Sat / Tue | Wed / Sat | 16 days |
Chargeable volume: 1 CBM = 500 kg, 1 CBM minimum. Fixed charges are extra — see below.
Fixed charges, and what the per-CBM rate does not cover
- Documentation and handling: USD 100 per B/L. This is per shipment, not per CBM, so it weighs heavily on a 1 or 2 CBM booking.
- China export declaration: CNY 350 per B/L, tax included — the declaration itself, separate from any document preparation bundled into the handling fee.
- Chargeable volume: the greater of cubic meters or weight at 1 CBM = 500 kg. One CBM is the minimum billable volume.
- Not included: customs inspection, cargo insurance, inland trucking inside China, and every destination charge listed below.
- Door delivery (DAP / DDU): send the packing list plus the consignee’s postal code and address and we price the final leg. Rates here are station to CFS.
- Cargo we cannot take as groupage: pieces over 3 m long, single pieces over 3 metric tons, or non-stackable freight are quoted per shipment before booking, and may travel as a dedicated rail container instead.
- Restricted cargo: we do not accept consignees without a VAT number, or battery and magnetized cargo without a per-shipment review. Food-contact packaging and machinery, foodstuffs, X-ray equipment, powders, liquids and counterfeit goods are refused; resulting costs and risk sit with the shipper.
Destination charges
- Vienna — Destination delivery order EUR 45 per B/L; CNEE fee EUR 20 W/M with no cap; T1 or customs clearance EUR 75 per B/L, plus EUR 15 per B/L where a CFS-to-CFS T1 movement is raised. Loose cargo palletized at EUR 6.5 W/M, collect. POD USD 11 per B/L. Single pieces above 3 metric tons are refused.
- Linz — Relayed through Prague. Delivery order EUR 45 per B/L; CNEE fee EUR 20 W/M with no cap; T1 or customs clearance EUR 75 per B/L plus EUR 15 per B/L for the CFS-to-CFS movement; palletization EUR 6.5 W/M collect; POD USD 11 per B/L. Special weight breaks apply.
Rail LCL to Austria — questions we answer at quotation stage
Prices below are taken from the same 5 November 2026 card used in the table above. They are indicative, confirmed against the sailing you book.
How much does 1 CBM of rail LCL from China to Austria cost, and how long does it take?
On the 5 November 2026 card, one CBM of rail LCL from China to Austria costs USD 225 to USD 230 per CBM station to CFS, delivered to Linz or Vienna. Transit is 16 days. The per-CBM figure already includes our USD 30 service fee; on top of it sit USD 100 per B/L documentation and CNY 350 per B/L for the China export declaration, with a 1 CBM minimum.
Which Chinese stations ship rail LCL to Austria?
Two lanes: Xi'an to Vienna, cut-off Sat / Tue, departure Wed / Sat, 16 days; Xi'an to Linz, cut-off Sat / Tue, departure Wed / Sat, 16 days. Cut-off is the last day the cargo can be gated in at the origin CFS; departure is the block-train ETD.
What is the minimum charge, and how is chargeable volume calculated?
One CBM is the minimum billable volume. Chargeable volume is the greater of the cubic meters and the weight at 1 CBM = 500 kg, so 1,000 kg of dense cargo bills as 2 CBM while 1 CBM of light cartons bills as 1 CBM. Pallets, crates and non-stackable freight are measured as they stand, not as they would pack.
What destination charges should I budget for?
Vienna: Destination delivery order EUR 45 per B/L; CNEE fee EUR 20 W/M with no cap; T1 or customs clearance EUR 75 per B/L, plus EUR 15 per B/L where a CFS-to-CFS T1 movement is raised. Loose cargo palletized at EUR 6.5 W/M, collect. POD USD 11 per B/L. Single pieces above 3 metric tons are refused. Linz: Relayed through Prague. Delivery order EUR 45 per B/L; CNEE fee EUR 20 W/M with no cap; T1 or customs clearance EUR 75 per B/L plus EUR 15 per B/L for the CFS-to-CFS movement; palletization EUR 6.5 W/M collect; POD USD 11 per B/L. Special weight breaks apply.
Can I ship a 4-ton single piece to Vienna by rail LCL?
No. The Vienna lane does not accept single pieces above 3 metric tons, and the limit is enforced at the terminal rather than negotiated at booking. Split the unit, ship it as a 20ft or 40ft rail container, or route through Linz where we can quote the heavy piece on a special weight break and truck it onward. Tell us the piece weights before the booking is placed, not after the cargo reaches the CFS.
Rate card dated 5 November 2026. Rail groupage space is booked per sailing and reconfirmed at cut-off; levels move with the block-train operator and with fuel and border charges. Figures in USD unless another currency is stated.
How the Austria lane works
The Xi’an–Vienna block train is a through service; the Linz box is discharged at Prague and forwarded from there, which is why Linz bills the Prague relay charges and not a Vienna card. Both read as 16-day transits, but a Linz shipment effectively sits an extra day at the relay before the onward leg is called, so plan the release date from the relay, not from the headline transit.
Austria clears into the EU at the Polish hub, so the entry declaration is filed before the box reaches Vienna. That is why the destination charges here are delivery-order and terminal items rather than a second customs entry — and why a consignee that wants to file its own entry has to say so before departure, not on arrival.
Get a rail LCL quote to Austria
Send the commodity, the piece weights and the Austrian postal code, and we come back with the all-in station-to-door figure, the cut-off for the next train and the destination charge schedule in one reply. sales8015@goodhopefreight.com or WhatsApp / WeChat +86 13392162503.