Hupac exhorts to be extended the contributions of exercise for the intermodal transport previewed in Switzerland



The Helvetic operator of arranged transport Hupac has exhorted to be extended the contributions of exercise for the intermodal transport previewed in Switzerland beyond the maturity date of end 2023, applying them until the completion of the Rhine-Alps corridor, as, second a simulation realized from the company, the increases of productivity of AlpTransit, the project in course in order to realize a plain railroad through the Alps, achieved with the realization of the tunnels of base of the Gottardo and Ashes inferiors regarding the expectations would introduce themselves.

In particular, Hupac has found that to two years from the mass in exercise of the gallery of base of Saint Gottardo the wished increase of productivity for the arranged transport transalpine is realizable only partially. If - has specified the company - they affect positively the abolition of the double traction the mountain distances with consequent railway cost reduction and the lengthening of the trains that beginning from 2021 will allow to transport a greater number of cargo unit for train, however, regarding the current contributions of exercise in expiration in 2024, a remarkable difference exists that on the road returns the more expensive intermodal transport regarding the transport, putting therefore in danger the transfer of the traffic.

Hupac has listed the factors that in his opinion in the next few years will reduce the competitiveness of the intermodal transport on the Rhine-Alps corridor: lines of access in Germany limited to a length train of 690 meters instead of 740 meters (the completion of the upgrade of the Rhine-Alps corridor are not previewed before 2030); some distances anticipate slopes that demand expensive a double traction (via Domodossola the slope are of the 26 ‰, via Uproar of the 15-17 ‰, whereby the advanced limit for the plain lines are of the 10-12,5 ‰. The upgrade of the Lugano-Uproar line is hypothetical around 2050); in Italy it is necessary to examine the possibility to make circular trains of advanced weight to 1.600 tons, as the substations electrical workers currently do not allow to increase the weight of the trains; the timetables which synchronized between the bordering Switzerland and countries do not make useless the gain of time and therefore of productivity of the gallery of base of Saint Gottardo; because of the traffic constantly disturbed and of the great yards previewed on the Rhine-Alps corridor (valley Rhenish, Emmerich-Oberhausen area) previews not optimal operating conditions, with expensive shunting lines and longer times of distance, until 2030 and beyond.

Specifying that the price cutting of the traces previewed from the Federal Office of the Transports Swiss beginning from 2021 will reduce the burden for the traffic goods, but he will not be sufficient to compensate the loss of contributions of exercise for the transalpine intermodal transport beginning from the 2024, president of the Hupac, Hans-Jörg Bertschi, has evidenced that "the prices of the traces in Switzerland are far from the European benchmark, than currently is in ulterior decrease because of the price cutting of the traces in Germany and in the Netherlands. In order to continue the process of transfer of the traffic - it has found - the contributions of exercise of Switzerland would have to be maintained to an inferior level until 2030 about in order overwhelming the current deficits". Bertschi has emphasized that after the upgrade complete of the Rhine-Alps corridor and the restoration of a flowing traffic on an infrastructure without interruptions the arranged transport will only be able to take advantage of fully the advantages of AlpTransit in terms of productivity and to operate in car-sustainable way.

While today the Helvetic group has introduced relative the business budget to 2018, year in which Hupac it has recorded an increment of +21.4% of the volume of enlivened traffic(on 4 February 2019). In the 2018 Hupac own turnover of +19.4% regarding the year has increased precedence having totaled 579,7 million franchi Swiss (502,1 million euros). The main factors of the increase - it has explained the company - have been the positive development of Core business of the transport arranged through Switzerland, the acquisition of marine operator ERS Railways(on 2 May 2018) and the absence of the effect negative caused from the yielding of the line to Rastatt, in Germany, happened the year precedence. The exercise result has been pairs to 7,9 million franchi Swiss regarding 11,1 million in 2017, with a decrease of the -29,1% that - it has specified Hupac - is online with the expectations as the result is characterized by extraordinary effects an one-off, in particular the amortization of goodwill on the acquisitions.

As for the perspectives for the 2019, Hupac it has announced that in the first four months of the year the group has recorded an extraordinary increase of the traffic of +28% riconducibile mainly to the volumes of ERS Railways, while the development of the traffic of Hupac Intermodal has remained slightly beneath of the expectations with an increase of +3%. On the whole, Hupac previews a stabilization of the question of traffic in 2019 because of the slow down of the economy. "In spite of the emergent economic inactivity - the managing director Beni Kunz has explained - we consider of being able to achieve an increase of the traffic in a percentage elevated to a figure, being reached a million street shipments".