To ensure the stability and reliability of the
Combined transport on the north-south axis in transalpine transit
through Switzerland, it is necessary to expand the lines
through France. This was highlighted by the operator
Swiss intermodal system Hupac on the basis of good results
from the diesel shuttle train on the left bank of the Rhine through
Alsace which was created in collaboration with DB
InfraGO and SNCF Réseau, SBB Cargo International and Captrain
France to respond to the closure from 9 to 30 August of the
Rhine Valley Railway near Rastatt, Germany,
for carrying out work on the line. The connection
was built with diesel locomotives on the
Wörth-Lauterbourg-Strasbourg-Offenburg non-electrified line.
Hupac CEO Michail Stahlhut said
stressed that alternative service through Alsace is
"A pioneering idea that overcame many obstacles
technical and administrative staff through intensive collaboration
Franco-German-Swiss. Thanks to this initiative - he explained -
a collapse of the supply chain has been avoided
industrial sector, as we had unfortunately had to experience with
the Rastatt accident in 2017"
(
of 21
August, 1
and 4
September 2017).
According to Hupac, the result of the alternative service via France
to cope with the three-week closure of the
Rhine Valley was positive even if there was no shortage of
"The volume of traffic, which is relatively low due to
of the holiday period - explained the Swiss company - is
was largely managed through the four-meter corridor
in Alsace and via the Gäubahn with a reduced profile. The
weak point of the diversion through France - he specified
society - was the lack of ability to
stationing at transfer points that caused problems with
congestion in the event of traffic irregularities. In addition
Towards the end of the month, the diversion path reached
capacity limit due to the increase in volumes".
"Now - urged the president of Hupac, Hans-Jörg
Bertschi - we must start from this pioneering and
include French access lines to Alptransit in policy
of modal shift. The adaptation of the line
Belgium-Metz-Strasbourg-Basel with a profile of four meters is
An absolute priority". For Hupac, in fact, "a
further modal shift in Alpine transit is
only possible with a four-meter corridor on the left bank
of the Rhine". Remembering that the transfer of traffic
transalpine rail has been stagnant for several years, Bertschi
specified that "the limited capacities of the network
are responsible for this stalemate
in Switzerland's modal shift policy. It is
this is the bottleneck of the current Alptransit system".
In addition, Bertschi warned that the renewal of the railway corridors
in Germany, with the closure of the main lines for several months,
will exacerbate the situation until after 2030.
Bertschi noted that, with the adjustment to four meters
of the Belgium-Metz-Strasbourg-Basel corridor on the left bank of the
Rhine, traffic from Belgium and South Holland, which
is currently being routed through Germany, it could be
operated on the shortest route of 110 kilometers through
France. "In view of the delay of decades
in the widening of the railway axis on the right bank of the Rhine -
explained - traffic through France must be increased as
only option to avoid stagnation or even a
regression in modal shift policy. It is
In the interests of Swiss transport policy, stimulate
the widening of the tunnel profiles through the Vosges Mountains with
targeted subsidies in France, as was done with
success in Italy".
Bertschi recalled that a motion to this effect by the
Transport Commission of the National Council was
approved by the National Council last June and will be
discussed by the Council of States during the current month.
Meanwhile, Hupac has announced that, after the negative trend of the
last year, traffic volumes in the Hupac Group's network fell
have stabilised and in the first six months of 2024
a slight increase of +0.4% in transalpine traffic recorded
through Switzerland. Overall, in the first half of
This year, the Group's services handled traffic equal to
494,000 road shipments, with a decrease of -2.8% compared to the first
six months of 2023. The company specified that traffic
maritime transport to the hinterland in Germany and transalpine traffic
through Austria and France showed a
negative.