According to Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), some chunks of concrete fell from the ceiling of the tunnel prior to the indefinite closure.
The closure to the tunnel means that traffic has been redirected to the San Bernardino route and the Gotthard pass road. In addition, only the east tunnel is accessible for freight traffic.
In light of this, ÖBB has announced it is providing an alternative option for freight traffic between Italy and Germany with its new TransFER Verona-Wuppertal.
ÖBB says the TransFER Verona-Wuppertal offers an attractive alternative for transporting goods between the two markets.
The company is thus creating a direct network connection without a stopover for continental flows of goods between northern Italy and the Ruhr region. ÖBB adds that the service is also helping to shift traffic to environmentally friendly rail along the Brenner axis and relieve transit congestion in the Tyrol.
“The TransFER Verona–Wuppertal is particularly suitable for 20-, 30-, 40- and 45-foot containers as well as 25- and 45-foot swap bodies and craneable trailers. After restrictions in recent weeks, the TransFER is now operating three round trips per week between the terminal in Sommacampagna-Sona near Verona and the DUSS terminal in Wuppertal-Langerfeld. If demand increases, there is the possibility of further increasing the number of round trips,” says ÖBB.