In 2023, the year in which intermodal shipments handled by the group decreased by -11.7% ( of 13 February 2024), Switzerland's Hupac has returned to recording a net loss as was the case in 2020 due to of the most pronounced impact on that exercise of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the group's revenues were amounted to CHF 648.1 million, down -3.1% on 2022. EBITDA amounted to €43.6 million (-31.2%). The pre-tax profit and net income were both negative, amounting respectively to -2.6 million and -6.2 million francs, compared with positive results of 12.7 million francs million and 7.6 million in the previous year.

Commenting on the company's achievements in 2023, the Hupac President Hans-Jörg Bertschi pointed out that "For several years now, we have been experiencing a downward spiral of low Availability of the rail network due to disruptions and construction works, combined with rising energy costs, of traction and traces'. Bertschi pointed out that the punctuality of trains on the north-south axis through the Switzerland has dropped to 50% and unscheduled cancellations of trains exceed 10% and found that, under these conditions, The competitiveness of combined transport is in suffering compared to road transport which has overcapacity in the current recessionary market environment.

According to Hupac, in order to support the modal shift, it would be necessary to the adoption of various measures, even small ones, with the unstable traffic situation on the north-south axis through Switzerland, which - in the company's opinion - could be sustainably improved, for example, by creating parking tracks for trains and, therefore, with buffer tracks at north and south of the Alps to ensure that trains can leave the terminals even in the event of disruptions and may be temporarily parked along the corridor until it is You can continue your journey.

Hupac also pointed out that, due to the continuous capacity problems of the Rhine Valley Railway, it is urgent need to find alternatives through France, with the adaptation of the of the Belgium-Metz-Strasbourg-Basel section with a profile of four meters which turns out to be a priority. It is in the interest of Switzerland's modal shift policy - HA Hupac noted that combined transport between Belgium and Italy can be routed through the most short through France to the Gotthard Base Tunnel. According to the company, Switzerland should therefore co-finance the extension of the Vosges tunnels, similar to what has been done in Italy and, as an alternative route, also the Wörth-Strasbourg line it should be upgraded as a supply line to Alptransit for the continuous traffic of freight trains with hybrid drive or diesel.

For Hupac, on the other hand, the expected redistribution of subsidies from long-haul transport to the short-haul route in the Alpine transit through Switzerland. "The greater the penetration of traffic into the network Bertschi explained that the quality deficits are greater and production costs and therefore the risk of backshift. Subsidies they should therefore not be reduced on long-distance routes, Otherwise, there will be a relocation by road." In Hupac's view, in order to promote combined transport between the Southern Germany and Alsace and Italy further funds totalling CHF 15 million.

Hupac recalled that, in the context of the discussion of the 2023 Modal Shift Report to the Swiss Parliament, representatives and associations of all forms of the country's transport supported these three demands, following to which the National Council's Transport Committee has tabled three motions to this effect at the spring session. The On 11 June, the first evaluation of these requests from the National Council.

With regard to the outlook for 2024 in terms of development of the network, Hupac specified that it will focus on on the expansion of the offer from the Cologne Nord terminal, which the group took over in early 2023 ( of 21 December 2022), and on the reinforcement of the service on the corridor Benelux-Italy. In addition, it is planned for next autumn an increase in the frequency of the Zeebrugge-Piacenza relationship and the connection of the Rotterdam-Brescia connection to the Rotterdam C.RO with ferry services to the UK. It is the connection of the port of Lübeck to the network is also planned Hupac via the Ludwigshafen hub.