Approximately 20 freight trains operated daily in both directions through Alsace during the railway closure. This was achieved through a shuttle service using diesel locomotives along the non-electrified Wörth-Lauterbourg-Strasbourg-Offenburg route. According to Hupac CEO Michail Stahlhut, the initiative was a “ground-breaking concept” made possible by close cooperation between Franco-German-Swiss partners. The shuttle service helped prevent a supply chain collapse, reminiscent of the disruption caused by the 2017 accident in Rastatt.
While the project was largely successful, it did expose some weaknesses. Congestion at transfer points became an issue during traffic disruptions, and by the end of August, the diversion route had reached its capacity limit as freight volumes increased. Nonetheless, the diversion through France demonstrated its critical importance in maintaining the flow of goods during the closure.
Three years of planning
The project, involving companies such as SBB Cargo International, Captrain France, DB InfraGo, and SNCF Réseau, took nearly three years to plan and execute. The collaboration produced market-oriented solutions that prevented a shift back to road transport during the rail disruption.
Hans-Jörg Bertschi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hupac, emphasised the need to build on this achievement. He called for integrating French access routes into Switzerland’s modal shift policy, urging an upgrade of the Belgium-Metz-Strasbourg-Basel line to a 4-metre corridor. This, Bertschi argued, is essential to improving the efficiency of rail transport and avoiding further reliance on road transport.
Stalled modal shift in Alpine transit
Switzerland’s modal shift policy, which aims to move more freight from road to rail, has stagnated in recent years due to capacity constraints in the German rail network. Bertschi identified this as the key bottleneck in the current system. Planned renovations in Germany, which will require the closure of key rail corridors for months, are expected to exacerbate the situation until after 2030.
Bertschi pointed to the need for an alternative route via France to maintain the modal shift progress. A 4-metre corridor on the left bank of the Rhine would enable freight traffic from Belgium and the southern Netherlands to bypass Germany, taking a shorter route through France. Bertschi stressed that this would be the only viable option to prevent further stagnation or even a reversal of the modal shift policy.
The Swiss government is being urged to support the necessary expansion of tunnel profiles through the Vosges mountains, following the successful example of Italy, where similar investments were made to enhance rail transport infrastructure.
Call for more traffic through France
The success of the diesel shuttle has encouraged Hupac to explore further expansion of rail traffic on the left bank of the Rhine. From 2025, the company plans to introduce container transit trains along the French route, even though the corridor is not yet fully compatible with 4-metre semi-trailers. These services are expected to help alleviate the pressure on the German rail network, where long-term corridor renovations are likely to disrupt capacity.
SBB Cargo International has signalled its support for this strategy by establishing a subsidiary in France to help address bottlenecks in the rail network. Bertschi described the development of new services on the left bank of the Rhine as an important signal to SNCF Réseau, highlighting the need for further investments in expanding tunnel profiles.
Traffic developments in 2024
Hupac’s overall traffic volume has stabilised after a difficult year. In the first half of the year there was a slight increase of 0.4% in transalpine traffic through Switzerland, despite moderate losses due to the closure of Rastatt.
The Hupac Group transported 494,000 road consignments in the first six months of the year, a decrease of 2.8% compared to the previous year.
However, Stahlhut was optimistic that traffic levels would remain stable, with potential for growth in certain markets such as Benelux.