Calls for a corridor through France
Swiss railway operators will continue to require subsidies for combined trans-Alpine transport operations, even after the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) has been completed. However, in order to improve the situation of the railways on the European north–south axis in the long term, the companies would like to see a fully-developed line from Belgium to Basel.
It was actually rather clear right from the start. Once the massive infrastructure project of the century, the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), is complete, Swiss operators should no longer require subsidies for intermodal rail activities. Now, a year before the Ceneri tunnel is due to open, it is clear that the industry will continue to need some support.
“We’re not yet self-supporting, unfortunately,” according to Hupac’s chairman Hans-Jörg Bertschi, speaking for the entire industry. Planned increases in productivity can’t be realised, because two locomotives are still required at times, construction sites hamper efforts to be punctual, less time is saved than predicted by reduced travel times and a lack of access routes in Germany prevents 740 m trains from operating.
Railways can cope with growth
This plethora of reasons means that freight railways operating trans-Alpine services are facing a joint annual deficit of around CHF 55 million from the year 2024 onwards. Hupac, SBB Cargo International and BLS Cargo are therefore asking the Swiss state to cover this deficit until the year 2030, which represents a total outlay of approximately CHF 385 million.
The chances that this request will be heeded are good, also because only a part of the subsidies have to be approved by parliament. The Swiss government is empowered to approve most of them off its own bat. Bertschi and his comrades-in-arms also emphasise the fact that the railways provide a considerable performance in return for these subsidies. Growth in trans-Alpine transit traffic is expected to increase by 2%, whilst road transport volumes are expected to remain the same.
An alternative to the Rhine route
In the long term, however, the European north–south corridor will require more than just subsidies for Swiss operators. Because infrastructure expansion in Germany is rather slow, the freight railways have called for a second corridor from Belgium to Switzerland. “A route through France wouldn’t require very large investment, because a lot of the network has already been established,” as Bertschi elaborated for the media.
One element would require the creation of a link to the German corridor. The rail firms have in mind that, in the medium term, Switzerland should conclude a treaty with Belgium and France. An preparatory phase will see individual trains run through France.
