West Europe - Area 4

Traffic development 2021 in combined transport

Chiasso, 27.1.2022    Despite the difficult economic situation, combined transport operator Hupac increased traffic volumes by 10.7% to around 1.1 million road consignments in 2021. The key success factors for the further shift of heavy goods traffic to rail are sufficient capacity in the network, high transport reliability and sustainable energy and rail costs. For the strategy period 2021-2026, Hupac is adopting an ambitious investment programme in rolling stock, transhipment terminals and information technology.

Contribution to the climate targets
Last year, the Hupac Group carried 1,123,562 road consignments or 2,118,000 TEU in combined road/rail transport and maritime hinterland transport. Compared to the previous year, around 100,000 additional trucks were shifted, representing a growth of 10.7%. "The climate targets are achievable," says Michail Stahlhut, CEO of the Hupac Group. "Compared to road transport alone, we have saved the environment 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ and reduced energy consumption by 17 billion megajoules – in addition to relieving the roads of the transport of 21 million tonnes of goods. We do our part by providing a reliable service and managing the network in an efficient, eco-friendly way." The environmental performance certification is available online for Hupac Intermodal's customers.  

Combined transport proves its value in the coronavirus crisis
All transport segments contributed to the positive development in 2021 to a comparable extent. Transalpine traffic grew by 11.0%*, which is due in particular to the successful use of the 4-metre corridor via Gotthard. In non-transalpine traffic (+10.4%), the southeast and southwest Europe segments developed dynamically. In maritime container transport, ERS Railways, a Hupac Group company, made up for the pandemic-related traffic losses of the previous year and generated satisfactory volume growth despite the continuing volatilities. Stahlhut: "The support measures in various countries helped us to maintain our network during the pandemic and thus secure supplies."

More modal shift through stable quality
The positive traffic development is not only due to the economic recovery in the past year, but also to the growing interest of logistics in competitive, climate-friendly transport solutions by rail. "With reliable services, we can meet the expectations of the industry and shift further significant volumes to rail," says Michail Stahlhut. "The prerequisite is stable quality. This requires better management of construction works today and in the coming years and decades, especially on the Rhine-Alpine corridor. Disruptions and inefficiencies like those in the second half of 2021 must not happen again."

Keywords for a sustainable improvement in quality are the organisation of weekend resets to stabilise the traffic situation, the improvement of construction site coordination between infrastructure managers and efficient traffic management with a noticeable reduction of disruption times.

The establishment of international bypasses, such as the upgrading of an alternative route on the left bank of the Rhine between Karlsruhe and Basel, is crucial for the coming years. "The additional capacity we need for reliable traffic management on the feeder routes to the Swiss base tunnels can be created in the short term with relatively little funding," explains Hans-Jörg Bertschi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hupac Ltd. "The expansion of the north-south axis on the Rhine left bank is an important prerequisite for the full utilisation of AlpTransit and for the further shift of transalpine freight traffic".

Energy crisis endangers eco-friendly rail transport
A further challenge for combined transport is the current explosion in energy costs. In various European countries, the costs for traction power have doubled or even tripled. The result is price increases that cannot be compensated for and that are putting a noticeable strain on the marketability of combined transport. "The energy costs in rail freight transport should be evaluated in macro-economic terms," demands Michail Stahlhut. "We can only achieve the Green Deal targets with competitive prices. A subsidy for electricity transmission costs - i.e. the price component for rail power facilities, overhead lines, etc. - would mitigate the current situation and send an important signal to the market."

Hupac adopts Strategy 2021-2026
For the coming years, Hupac anticipates significant interest in combined transport as a contribution to achieving the net zero climate target. "With our Strategy 2021-2026, we are setting the course for growth that meets the Green Deal expectations," says Hans-Jörg Bertschi. "With an annual volume growth of 7%, we are aiming for a volume of 1.5 million road consignments by 2026." In the coming years, Hupac will strengthen its offer in the core market of transalpine transport through Switzerland and work for productivity improvements to compensate for the reduction in subsidies. Other key development areas are southern Italy, Spain, eastern and south-eastern Europe. The investment programme for the next five years provides for CHF 300 million for terminals, rolling stock and IT systems.