Challenges for the future of combined transport

The railway liberalisation represents the cornerstone of the transport policy put into practice by the EU and the Swiss Government since the 1990s in order to develop rail traffic and tackle transport mobility.

In order to improve the competitiveness of the rail against the road, it is essential to achieve separation of infrastructure and operations, but also free access to the network, vital preconditions that allow the opening of the market and the creation of a healthy competitive environment among rail companies. It is also of crucial importance to overcome the numerous technical and administrative hurdles that still stand in the way of a functioning, Europe-wide railway market today.

Hupac actively supports fair competition and the liberalisation of the railway market. The company acquired railway licences for Germany in 1999 and, two years later, for Italy. In 2000 locomotives for niche market transports were also acquired. In 2002 Hupac helped to form the Belgian railway company Dillen & Le Jeune Cargo. 2003 saw Hupac entrusting Rail4Chem with its first connections: the private railway operator showed a favourable price/performance ratio and proved to be capable of handling train traction from source to destination. In 2004 Hupac put into service the first international train to make the cross-border trip Duisburg to Novara with the integrated traction handled solely by SBB Cargo acting as international interface throughout from Germany to Italy.

Since 2005, Hupac has been entrusting the traction of the trains to its partners according to the business model of international integrated traction. Hupac works together with a wide range of high-performance railway companies and supports new-comers as well as traditional railways in the implementation of innovative projects.

Hupac is licensed as a railway company in Italy and Germany, has thirteen shunting and main line locomotives at its disposal and operates transport of its own in niche market sectors.