In the meantime, and for the Arona-Stressa line closure (9 June-8 September), trains carrying P400 trailers will be able to access the Simplon route via the Novara-Borgomanero-Premosello-Domo2, which operates on a single track and does not provide much flexibility to operators.

Most closures concern upgrading tunnels to fit the P400 profile. In this sense, they are essential for the whole Transalpine corridor in terms of increasing rail capacity. However, as Italian media mentions, these closures also constitute a “black period” for rail logistics, considering that they add more pressure on companies.

Also read:

• How much will the disruptions in the Alps cost for rail freight operators?

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Alongside SBB’s increase in passenger train capacity, freight services will continue enjoying prioritisation in path allocation. As the company underlined, the weekdays will be dedicated to cargo transit, with all tracks through Gotthard made available for freight trains. In this way, SBB claims to be increasing freight capacity, even though it does not state how much.

Indicatively, though, SBB’s initial plan was to run approximately 100 freight trains through Gotthard’s east tunnel daily, which would correspond to roughly two-thirds of the total usual traffic. An increase in these figures would mean that freight traffic would be a step closer to a full reinstatement.

Confidence in restoration timeframe

On the other hand, SBB is still very busy with the tunnel’s repair. The company says there’s still much work to do, but so far, works carried out successfully indicate that all necessary interventions will occur within the defined timeframe.

Clearance and recovery work was completed in October, so the focus in November has turned to reconstruction works in Gotthard’s west tunnel. “Overall, 7 kilometres of track have to be completely renewed in addition to more than 20,000 sleeper blocks, the track switching gate, two high-speed switches and numerous other plant components relevant for safety and operation,” concluded SBB.

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• How much will the disruptions in the Alps cost for rail freight operators?

• SBB: ‘Gotthard Tunnel reparation will cost over 100 million euros’

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Despite SBB also carrying out damage assessment studies, it is not 100 per cent sure that reconstruction works will start at the end of September. This is because, after the assessment, SBB will need to determine the “exact nature of the damage and order the additional replacement material required” for the rebuilding.

However, since SBB has no reserve materials, it might need additional time before they are ordered and delivered. As a result, the Swiss company confirmed the initial estimations that it will take months before the damage is repaired, with the beginning of 2024 being the best-case scenario so far.

Freight traffic continues with restrictions

Simultaneously and through the Gotthard Tunnel’s eastern tube, freight trains continue operations, alas with considerable restrictions. Freight traffic recommenced on 23 August, and it works by rotation: four trains run in one direction and then are followed by four more trains running in the opposite direction. Around 90 trains cross the Gotthard Tunnel daily, with the limit at 100, almost exhausted.

An additional 15 to 20 trains per day also cross the region via the Gotthard Panoramic route, while to ensure that freight operations are impacted as little as possible, SBB has postponed the works to several other construction sites around.

Also read:

• Gotthard accident aftermath: ‘There is no more room for error’

• The Swiss Federal Council opted to fully double the Lötschberg Tunnel

• Gotthard Tunnel’s closure prolonged, no re-opening date in sight

• Gotthard accident: ‘problem was with the train, not the infrastructure’

Demand keeps growing

The initial estimations and the possibility of exceeding them results from the growing demand for semitrailer transport in the Gotthard axis via Switzerland. “The Gotthard route opening with the completion of the Ceneri Base Tunnel in 2020 made transporting semitrailers with a corner height of four metres by rail through Switzerland possible. The switch to the P400 profile has significantly increased the demand for combined transport services on the route,” said TX Logistik.

However, apart from semitrailers, TX Logistik can also transport mega-trailers and swap bodies and containers on the route. The company mentioned that in each train trip, it can transport 34 loading units saving 23,000 tons of CO2 per year.

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The connection

Both 45-foot containers and swap bodies as well as trailers will be loaded on the train. In the Netherlands, the units are handled at the new Cabooter Railterminal Greenport, and in Italy, the Melzo terminal east of Milan is served. Both are important hubs in the respective regions.

The route runs through Switzerland, where the P400 profile can now be used without restrictions on the Gotthard route. The transit time of the connection is 24 hours. It is planned to increase the number of rotations by one to six per week as early as February 2022.

Closer to clients

Maciek Chelmowski, director Intermodal Transport of Jan de Rijk Logistics commented: “Jan de Rijk Logistics has been operating a door-to-door intermodal connection for over ten years between the Benelux and Italy. We are pleased to have found a competent partner in TX Logistik, which strengthens the connection to Italy in our network and enables us to further grow.

“Thanks to our own fleet in both Italy and The Netherlands we are able to offer a seamless intermodal solution to our customers. By moving to the Venlo terminal we now also have a central hub for our operations in both the Benelux and Germany. Closer to clients, shorter road distance, more benefit from the train. Also notable is that in 2022 Jan de Rijk Logistics will be offering the possibility to transport ADR goods on the train.“

The phase where the tunnel works come to a standstill proved to be the test drive. These test drives could not be done complying to the safety requirements, as the required 2-meter distance in the driver’s cab was not maintained. The test operation has therefore be suspended until 19 April 2020, in consultation between AlpTransit Gotthard (ATG) and SBB, the infrastructure manager in Switzerland.

Exceptional situation

ATG has received an exemption from the Canton of Ticino to continue work related to the commissioning of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, explained the contractor. This exemption was possible due to the current corona crisis, which the Federal Council classified as an ‘exceptional situation’ according to the Epidemic Act.

With regards to maintenance activities in the tunnel, ATG is currently evaluating whether this can be done in compliance with the current rules. Based on this evaluation, it will be decided whether the maintenance activities can be continued.

Impact on completion

It is currently not clear whether the temporary suspension has an effect on the planned opening date of the tunnel. The Ceneri Base Tunnel is scheduled to be inaugurated by the Swiss president on 4 September 2020, and become operative in December this year. ATG, SBB and the Swiss Federal Office of Transport are looking into the further course of the project.

The Ceneri Base Tunnel is part of the New Railway link through the Alps (NEAT), aimed at a shift of freight from road to rail. In 2008, the Lötschberg Base Tunnel was opened. The modal shift was further encouraged with the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016. The Ceneri Base Tunnel is considered the final link, which should clear the entire north-south axis for 4-metre height trains. This should have a major impact on traffic from north to south Europe.

In 2018 the Swiss intermodal transport operator carried 926,414 road consignments or 1,720 thousand TEUs. These were 163 thousand road consignments more than in the previous year. Non-transalpine traffic showed the most dynamic development with an increase of just under 38 per cent.

Non-transalpine

Rail traffic that did not pass the Alps amounted to 251,870 consigments last year. This was 98 thousand trips more than the previous year. This was almost exclusively attributable to the volumes of operator ERS Railways, which was integrated into the Hupac Group in June 2018 . The operator contributed to the overall result with about 92 thousand train journeys.

ERS Railways, with its operational headquarters in Hamburg, specialises in maritime hinterland services and thus complements the portfolio of Hupac with its traditional focus on continental traffic. ERS offers connections between the North Sea ports and numerous destinations in Germany as well as supplementary services such as port connection traffic, local delivery and customs procedures.

The expansion of the network to the western ports by exploiting synergies with Hupac Intermodal is in the development phase. “We have achieved important successes with ERS Railways; the entire Hupac Group benefits from this”, commented Bernhard Kunz, CEO of the Hupac Group.

Transalpine traffic

Transalpine traffic through Switzerland also developed positively. Compared to the previous year, Hupac Intermodal was able to shift 67 thousand additional road consignments to railways, which corresponds to an increase of 14.4 per cent. The majority of these trips were via Switzerland, accounting for 535,777 trains. Via Asutria and France, another 38,767 journeys were made.

Almost half of total transalpine traffic is attributable to the recovery of volume losses due to the seven-week blockade of the Rhine valley route in August/September 2017. Revised the Rastatt effect, traffic volumes in transalpine traffic through Switzerland increased by about 8 per cent. Growth was again driven by the semi-trailer segment. These services are currently routed via the Simplon axis to the Novara terminal.

Future

The furture looks positive for Hupac Group. The opening of the 4-metre corridor via the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the connection of the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate terminal at the end of 2020 will create new opportunities for the shift to rail.

In 2019 Hupac expects transport demand to stabilise as a result of the economic downturn. “Now is the time to focus on the quality of the services,” emphasises Michail Stahlhut, director of Hupac Intermodal. “We must ensure a stable environment on which new growth can be built.”

This was the argument of Hupac’s president Hans-Jörg Bertschi, who was speaking at the event. The current very high track access prices for Swiss transit must be reduced to the level of the corridor countries, a “simple, non-discriminatory support measure that would send an immediate signal in favour of modal shift”, he said. The flat rate could be the equivalent of three Euros per train kilometre, he suggested, basing this estimate on a comparison with track access charges for freight trains in Germany and Italy.

Capacity increase

It is expected that approximately two thirds of current government subsidies for intermodal transportation can be reduced by improvements in productivity with the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnels and clearance of the 4-meter corridor, projects that are to be completed in 2020. Together with the infrastructure upgrading in Germany and Italy, the production parameters for intermodal should improve significantly.

As explained by Nicolas Perrin, CEO of SBB Cargo, a higher train weight of up to 1800 tonnes allows 13 per cent more capacity. Longer trains of 740 metre add another 23 per cent capacity. The 4-metre corridor via Gotthard extends the market by 50 per cent and the ETCS digitalszation project enables a higher frequency of trains, leading to a 20 per cent capacity increase. Finally, increased average speed of trains from 50 to 75 kilometre per hour will add another 50 per cent of capacity, Perrin outlines.

Despite these impressive prospects for the post 2020 Transalpine line, one third of current subsidies would still have to be granted under the current circumstances, Hupac believes. “In 2019, Germany will reduce the track access charges by up to 50 per cent for a period of five years, allowing railway undertakings to invest and to improve competitiveness. Incentives are in place in Italy and under discussion in other countries. Switzerland should do the same”, he said.

Other measures

According to Joris d’Incà, sector leader of logistics at Oliver Wyman, the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel alone will not help improve performance on the north-south axis. Efficiency, punctuality and reduced transport times are also critical, he stated at the Annual Event. “In order to achieve shorter lead times and better punctuality across routes, it is necessary to manage the infrastructure along the north-south axis end-to-end from a single source and to develop a marketable product. The competitiveness of rail freight transport can only be achieved by infrastructure managers focusing more on the specific needs of the market, e.g. by fewer interruptions, short transitions and higher average speeds instead of an isolated optimisation of their own capacity utilisation and construction activity”.

Indeed, RFI, SBB Infrastructure and DB Netz have jointly prepared a first set of 24 daily paths for timetable 2019 with 25 per cent reduced transportation time between Cologne and Milano. “A promising first step”, Perrin commented. Moreover, DB Netz is preparing a scheme with malus payments for delay minutes that is asymmetrical in favour of railway undertakings and incentivises DB Netz to reduce disruptions.

Renovation has begun of the Swiss Bellinzona-Sao Paolo freight station, marking another key step for the future of freight along the vital Switzerland-Italy Gotthard link. SBB Cargo is investing around 100 million Francs on the project, which will last until 2020. 

The expansion is part of the Swiss rail operator’s ZEB (Future Development of Railway Infrastructure) programme, which aims to increase capacity on the Gotthard axis. It includes a new 750 metre-long overpass track built specially for freight traffic at the San Paolo junction, which will ensure that timetables are met.

‘Great importance’

SBB says the Bellinzona-San Paolo project ‘is of great importance’ for freight transport on the north-south axis, and follows the long-awaited opening in December of the new Gotthard Basin Tunnel. Next in the pipeline is the planned opening of the Ceneri Basin Tunnel in 2020.