The Helvetic operators of the railway transport goods organize themselves in order to tackle to the interruption of the line of Saint Gottardo



The railway operators and intermodal Helvetians have activated themselves in order to receive on the Lötschberg/Sempione line good part of the transport question goods that looks for an alternative to the transit via Switzerland through Saint Gottardo, line this last one that will remain interrupted in the next weeks because of a happened landslide 5th june to Gurtnellen that has caused the reduction to valley of a landslide of 2.000-3.000 cubic metres of material. The landslide has happened in presses of the area on which last March another landslide had fallen that had caused an interruption of the line.

In order to increase to the ability on the Lötschberg/Sempione draft Helvetic operators SBB International Cargo, BLS Cargo, Hupac and RAlpin have adopted some measures, between which an adaptation of the timetables. RAlpin, the manager of the Travelling Freeway, is reducing its current offer on the axis of the Lötschberg so as to allow the passage of a greater number of trains for shipments not accompanied that they are forzatamente bound to the transport on track. BLS Cargo, on assignment of the managers of infrastructure SBB CFF FFS/BLS, puts on of all the railway enterprises the services of thrust in tail on the mountain drafts. To borders SBB International Cargo it has dislocated additional teams of maneuver, while Hupac supplies to regulating the traffic volume so as to obtain the full load uses of the trains. On the Travelling Freeway dangerous priorities are given to the transport of goods, in order on the road to limit the increment of the transits of such goods.

Moreover SBB Cargo International, BLS Cargo, Hupac and RAlpin have explained that it is intensely continuing also the collaboration with the foreign railroads as all the railway traces via Lötschberg/Sempione must find a connection in Germany and Italy in order not to remain made unusable. In particular, a bottle neck is constituted by unwinds railway international of Domodossola and under the direction of RFI, the manager of the Italian railway infrastructure, a pool is constituted of locomotives and machinists for the shunting operations, in the attempt to exceed this critical point. The customs authorities are they also adapted to the greater question on the Lötschberg/Sempione axis extending the operativity to 24 hours on 24.

"The interruption of the line of the Gottardo - they have emphasized SBB International Cargo, BLS Cargo, Hupac and RAlpin - is generating enormous costs for all the parts involved in the chain of intermodal transport. The enterprises of the field preview an economic damage of the million order franchi. Still more onerous they are the indirect costs deriving from the loss of confidence of the customers and from a possible return to the transport on the road. So much more important will be therefore in the next weeks the grip and constructive collaboration of all the actors long the entire railway corridor".

"The interruption of the line of the Gottardo - they have found the four operators of the rail shipment goods - has demonstrated as the railway system needs of sufficient reserves and redundancies, such to guarantee of the functionality also in emergency situations. The traffic goods must be able to withdraw at least partially from a line to the other. The availability of sufficient reserves guarantees the stability of the entire system. With regard to this the guideline of the NFTA on two aces (Gottardo and Lötschberg) has demonstrated the more just choice. The potenziamento and the increase of ability to all and the three aces of transit through Switzerland (Lötschberg, Luino and Chiasso) are therefore due to the aim of the transfer of the traffic".

According to SBB International Cargo, BLS Cargo, Hupac and RAlpin it is necessary to take part also on the front of the management of the yards: "an international organ of coordination - they have specified - would have to hold account of all the alpine transits so as to be able to maintain a sufficient ability to transport if of unexpected events. As it is time had a chance for state, the contemporary yards along more central aces than transit, as those of this summer with blocks partially totals of the lines of the Sempione and Brenner, represent an indefensible risk. In emergency cases the displacement of the yards must be an option".

SBB International Cargo, BLS Cargo, Hupac and RAlpin have evidenced moreover as "the interruption of the line of Saint Gottardo has returned the necessity of a management of infrastructures coordinated to international level obvious, above all in the sensitive alpine space, such to allow the best possible harmonization of the several requirements of the national nets. Also the interoperatività - they have found - continues to being a central topic: the diversity of the profiles of the lines, of the systems of feeding and railway safety enormously complicates the shunting of the transports from an axis to the other".