Hupac registers slight losses in Transalpine traffic via Austria

Vivid development of traffic in the Antwerp area helped Hupac to boost volume in 2013; View to Gotthard base tunnel raises further confidence

In the past year, Swiss intermodal transport operator Hupac achieved a 1.7% increase in transport. In total the company transported 656,877 road consignments by rail. The weak economy, particularly in Italy, continued to impact market demand. A significant shift effect is expected from the opening of the Gotthard base tunnel and the construction of the 4-meter corridor, the company informed at the end of last week.

In its core business of transalpine transport through Switzerland, Hupac was able to boost the volume by 1.9% to 380,502 transported road shipments. On many routes, a frequency of five departures per day was offered in each course. The volume of transalpine transports via Austria decreased by 2.1% to 52,288 road consignments.

The development in the Antwerp area was particularly positive. In April a new link between the Antwerp Combinant and Busto Arsizio terminals was started up with four round trips per week. On the Antwerp-Barcelona and Antwerp-Verona lines the number of weekly departures was increased.

Meanwhile the company is awaiting the opening of the Gotthard base tunnel in 2017 and the Ceneri base tunnel in 2019, which will offer new opportunities for the shift from road to rail. “We welcome the recently signed agreement between Italy and Switzerland regarding the building of a 4-meter corridor to the Italian terminals via Luino and via Chiasso”, emphasises Hupac’s managing director Bernhard Kunz. A high-capacity railway infrastructure improved productivity, reduced costs and strengthened the ability of the railways to compete in the transportation of freight.

Founded in 1967 in Chiasso, Hupac employs approximately 400 persons, operating a network of 110 daily trains between the major European economies as well as between ports and the hinterland. The Hupac group consists of 13 companies based in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia.

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Quelle: LogEastics
Portal: www.logistik-express.com