Switzerland rolls out new ERTMS plan
The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) updated the country’s strategy for the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The new programme focusses on implementing cab-signalling with European Train Control System (ETCS)...Read more
How much will the disruptions in the Alps cost for rail freight operators?
Crossing the Alps by rail is currently as difficult as it must have been for Hannibal over 2,000 years ago. The closures, partial or total, of the Gotthard and Frejus axes are causing major disruptions...Read more
Swiss rail freight drops by 6 per cent in first six months of 2023
Rail freight in Switzerland over the first six months of 2023 dropped by 6 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, for a total of 13,9 million tonnes. Throughout the same period, the...Read more
The Gotthard Base Tunnel won’t be fully operational until next summer
Accident updateThe west tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is currently unavailable due to a disastrous freight train derailment last August. Despite the still-usable east shaft being reserved for rail freight, the Federal Swiss Railway said...Read more
Liberalised market in Italy: more players, stagnating volumes
The Italian private rail freight sector has kept growing since the early 2000s, despite the state-owned entity, Mercitalia Rail, still keeping the largest slice of the pie. All in all, the situation in Italy concerning...Read more
SBB Cargo: ‘No RU has managed to offer single wagonload traffic alone’
INTERVIEWFor many countries, Switzerland is an example to look up to when setting up a rail freight transport and infrastructure policy. Just like Swiss clocks, the rail industry is working with accuracy. That, however, does...Read more
These two projects sum up the Italian approach to rail freight
There are two projects in Italy that seem to be quite descriptive of how the country approaches its priorities, especially when it comes to rail freight. They are the Messina Strait Bridge, which would connect...Read more
Gotthard accident: ‘crack in wheel could not have been detected’
The Swiss Safety Investigation Board (SUST) confirmed initial suspicions that the derailment of a freight train in the Gotthard Base Tunnel on 10 August was caused by a faulty wheel. The SUST report mentioned that...Read more
Rail Cargo Group offers alternatives after the Gotthard Tunnel accident
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group offers an alternative route for rail freight transportation between Italy and Germany impacted by the Gotthard Tunnel accident. The new route will connect the German city of Wuppertal and the Italian...Read more
Gateway Basel Nord terminal gets green light to begin construction
The Swiss Gateway Basel Nord trimodal terminal in Basel-Kleinhüningen has received planning approval from the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV) and can proceed with construction. The new terminal will be completed in two construction...Read more
Is Italy running the risk of remaining logistically isolated?
Italy is experiencing significant disruptions in the transport and logistics sector, especially the rail freight industry, due to natural calamities and other disruptions. The country is currently somehow logistically isolated from all its neighbours in...Read more
The Swiss Federal Council opted to fully double the Lötschberg Tunnel
The Swiss Federal Council has submitted a proposal to double the entirety of the Lötschberg tunnel, running for 35 kilometres from Raron to Frutigen. Now it is up to the country’s Parliament to approve the...Read more
Gotthard accident: ‘problem was with the train, not the infrastructure’
Accident updateThe train derailment that occurred Thursday 10 August inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel might cause the structure to be closed for quite some time. This is because the door that separates the two tunnels was...Read more
Gotthard Tunnel closed until next week due to freight train derailment
accidentThe Gotthard Base Tunnel will be closed to traffic until 16 August at 23:59, according to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). This is because a freight wagon derailed in the tunnel on the afternoon of...Read more
Rhine-Alpine Corridor: what to expect with the coming upgrades
analysisThe Rhine-Alpine Corridor is one of the backbones of the European Union when it comes to transportation services. This is especially true for rail freight since the corridor connects two of the largest European ports,...Read more
Switzerland: more money but fewer resources for rail in 2025-28
The Swiss Federal Council set a spending limit of 15,1 billion francs (15,43 billion euros) for rail operations as well as maintenance and modernisation of the infrastructure. Despite being 0,7 billion francs more than what...Read more
Major Swiss rail upgrade project underway in the Zurich area
SBB plans to expand the railway between Zurich and the German border, on behalf of the Swiss federal government. The planned infrastructure upgrades of the major Zurich-Winterthur MehrSpur project will eliminate the current bottleneck in...Read more
Swiss subsidies needed to compensate for loss combined transport
Swiss intermodal operator Hupac is calling on the Swiss government to temporarily suspend the annual reduction of subsidies for combined transport until the economic crisis is over. In the first quarter of 2023 the operator...Read more
Hupac: rough year with traffic and turnover slowdown
Hupac experienced a tough year in 2022 and saw its volumes and economic turnover drop. The intermodal company carried 1,104,000 road consignments in combined transport, seeing a decrease of 1,8 per cent compared with the...Read more