Swiss railway company BLS Cargo is looking forward to the introduction of the
measures to counteract the decline in transalpine traffic
rail and combined, which after a phase of
Growth is declining. The Swiss company has
highlighted that after the initial euphoria caused by the
completion of sections of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA),
which is the key infrastructure of the rail corridor
connecting Rotterdam to Genoa and including the
Lötschberg, Gotthard and Ceneri Base Tunnels,
Four years after the end of the project, this
Success has cracks in the current market environment
extremely difficult and, after years of continuous growth, the share of the
of the rail transport market is once again in
decrease, with the shares of combined transport and
which are currently 10-15% lower
compared to last year.
BLS Cargo found that rail transport was penalised
the construction sites opened on the lines, with
diversions and cancellations, the high prices of
railway and energy train paths. The company highlighted that
Next year, other major construction sites on access are planned
north, with lines that will even be closed to traffic for months
freight rail without the necessary capacities being available
alternative. BLS Cargo has specified that this entails and
will result in cancellations of travel, both planned and
short-term, freight trains, with a consequent high burden on the
for railway undertakings. A negative scenario made
loss of revenue for railway companies and additional costs
additional costs that they will have to incur due to the consequent inefficiencies
in the use of personnel and locomotives.
While BLS Cargo has expressed its appreciation for the
Short-term support adopted by the government on Wednesday
Swiss Federal
(
of 29
November 2023), the company pointed out that in order to achieve
the objectives of transferring the transport of goods from the
road to rail and increase the rail share of
transport of goods, improvements are needed on the entire
Rhine-Alpine rail corridor, with an efficient
coordination of construction sites, including through improved
international cooperation between infrastructure operators,
which provides for the identification of alternative routes on which it is possible to
at least 80% of the volume of goods to be diverted
Go by rail. For BLS Cargo, you also need
provide for the establishment of parking and buffer areas, as well as
stabilisation and reduction of train path prices
which in Switzerland - the company complained - are much more
higher than in the other countries of the corridor. About the price
(BLS) considers it important that future adjustments to the
Current price of electricity for railway traction
do not exceed the market price of diesel.