The chances of shifting more traffic to combined transport have never been better , according to Switzerland-based rail operator Hupac . However , sufficient capacities must be created on the entire north-south corridor for the expected traffic volumes , said Hupac chairman Hans-Jörg Bertschi in the company ’ s annual business review . “ This requires corridor-wide thinking and action , initiated in particular by Switzerland ,” he commented . Bertschi said there is an urgent need to increase capacity in the Rhine valley south of Mannheim . Hupac supports the concept of a continuous double track and electrification of the Wörth- Lauterbourg-Strasbourg line well before 2030 , creating a path on the left bank of the Rhine through north-east France bypassing the Mannheim-Basel line via Rastatt . That section of the major north-south corridor was the scene of severe disruption in 2017 when work on a tunnel led to a collapsed sink hole that closed the line for almost two months . A four-track expansion on the right bank of the Rhine will not be completed until after 2040 , but that is too late for the modal shift , explained Bertschi . Equally important is the prompt improvement of the power supply on the Bellinzona-Luino-Gallarate and Domodossola- Novara / Gallarate lines so that all trains can run at 2,000 tonnes in future . On top of that Hupac says there is an urgent need for action to increase train lengths . Both Germany and the Netherlands have yet to upgrade their railway infrastructures to standard train lengths of 740m . This would be a win-win situation both for combined transport operators as well as for network operators : with more payload per train and less train path required in the network , the operator says . In the medium term , capacity must be further increased in order to cope with rising demand on the north-south corridor . The upgrade of the Zeebrugge / Antwerp-Metz-Strasbourg-Basel axis to the standard parameters of the Rhine-Alpine corridor should provide an efficient alternative for volumes from / to Belgium as of 2030 . Further measures
The current regulatory framework conditions are the basis for Switzerland ’ s modal shift success . They have enabled a 70 percent rail market share in Alpine transit and made the country a pioneer of modal shift policy in Europe , Hupac believes . In order to continue shifting market shares from road to rail in the future , it is now necessary to update and supplement the measures . From Hupac ’ s point of view , important starting points are , in particular , a reduction of train path prices to the level of other countries of the Rhine-Alpine corridor as a measure of climate policy , and maintaining reduced charges for emission-free
|
on north-south corridor Incentives are needed for the conversion of semitrailer fleets to exclusively craneable equipment
trucks , so that other external costs such as noise , congestion , accident risk , etc , are correctly reflected . Incentives are also needed for the medium-term conversion of semi-trailer fleets on long-distance transalpine road transport through Switzerland to exclusively crane-capable equipment , allowing trailers to be picked up by a crane and placed on rail rolling stock . Every semi-trailer should be technically capable of using the combined transport option created by the investment in the four-metre corridor to Italy , Hupac says . An initiative of this kind would trigger a push for innovation on the part of manufacturers to overcome existing inefficiencies in the weight and production costs of trailers . Other countries such as Germany also support the conversion of fleets to craneable semi-trailers . More broadly , in the international context the various stakeholders need to overcome national thinking even more consistently and adopt a corridor perspective focusing on freight transport requirements . Measures that would greatly improve the performance of rail freight and thus increase the chances of modal shift include securing freight transport capacities through international network utilisation planning at corridor level , integrated operational management on the entire corridor , including planning of construction works through international co-ordination , and giving priority to freight traffic over long distances in the event of operational disruptions and breakdowns . On the whole , Hupac expects further significant growth in combined transport in the coming years . In addition to Switzerland ’ s active modal shift policy , the European Green Deal now also sets ambitious targets . By 2050 , greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector are to be reduced by 90 percent , and rail freight transport
|
could double . Combined transport with its linking of different modes of transport will play a central role in low-emission , socially sustainable freight transport in the future , the company believes . Already , Hupac Intermodal ’ s network saves 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year compared to pure road transport . The strategy that Hupac adopts for improving its environmental footprint includes low-emission terminal equipment , energy-efficient buildings and digital tools for process optimisation along the value chain . Initial tests with battery-electric powered mobile cranes are in the pipeline . Further opportunities for climate-neutral terminal operation could open up with ‘ green hydrogen ’. “ Combined transport will be able to realise the first emission-free transport chains before 2030 , and net zero will be our goal by 2050 ,” Bertschi explained .
Results
Last year , Hupac transported just over 1 million road consignments , or 1.9 million TEU , by rail . This corresponds to a slight decrease of 0.9 percent compared with the previous year . The main influencing factors were the slump in maritime traffic from overseas and the economic slowdown in Europe as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of the year . Traffic demand recovered in the second semester and reached the previous year ’ s level by the end of the year . The consequences of the pandemic were particularly evident in transalpine traffic through Switzerland . Demand fell noticeably in the period from April to June ; nevertheless , Hupac maintained its network and thus made an important contribution to securing the logistics of vital goods . “ In spring 2020 , intermodal supply chains
|
became an anchor of stability for logistics ,” explained Michail Stahlhut , CEO of Hupac Group . “ We responded to traffic declines on a weekly basis of -40 percent with network stability .” In the second half of the year , volumes returned to the previous year ’ s level . However , with a total transalpine volume of 538,104 road consignments ( -2.3 percent ), the gap of the crisis months could not be fully compensated . Non-transalpine traffic closed the year with a small growth of 0.5 percent to 434,033 road consignments . While traffic to eastern and southeastern Europe developed positively , other segments such as maritime hinterland traffic from North Sea ports were more strongly characterised by COVID effects . At CHF597 million , the group ’ s annual revenue was 2.3 percent below the previous year . The significant traffic declines and losses of the second quarter could not be offset over the course of the year , although the volume curve showed a continuous upward trend from the third quarter until the end of 2020 . However , the load factor had fallen so sharply in the spring that the negative financial results of this period led to the first negative group result in the company ’ s history on a full-year basis . In the first four months of 2021 , however , Hupac recorded a traffic growth of around 10 percent . This was due to strong demand for intermodal transport services . The current focus is on trailer transport in Swiss Alpine transit , which for the first time will have a real alternative by rail thanks to the four-metre corridor opened at the end of 2020 . For this sector , Hupac operates a network with 150 roundtrips a week on routes to northern Italy and a further 10 roundtrips on gateway routes to southern Italy . Other focal points on network development are Pordenone in north-east Italy , Singen with new connections to Munich , and Zeebrugge as a hub for traffic to the UK , Italy , Spain and Poland . The Benelux-southeast Europe axis with numerous destinations in Austria , Hungary , Romania and Turkey is showing pleasing growth , which Hupac is supporting with frequency increases . In maritime hinterland transport , the consequences of the Suez Canal blockade continue to be felt . Nevertheless , ERS Railways subsidiary has been able to increase departures on single south German routes . By the end of the year , Hupac expects a singledigit percentage growth in traffic and a positive business result . After the pandemic-related decline in 2020 , there will be a surge in investments this year . In March , construction started at the Brwinow terminal near Warsaw , Poland . The Piacenza and Milano Smistamento terminals will follow in the summer ; commissioning is planned for 2023 .
www . hupac . com
|
Braskem to develop Sing hub | ||
Latin America ’ s largest petrochemical company Braskem has entered into a partnership with global logistics player AP Moller-Maersk and PSA Corporation to open a new logistics hub in Singapore . The agreement will enable Braskem to supply its customers in Asia with regular access to its portfolio of polymer products . After Braskem ’ s first polyethylene vessel entered into Port of Singapore earlier this year , this latest development reinforces the company ’ s presence as a local player in Asia . Singapore had already served |
as the headquarters of Braskem ’ s Asian operations for over 10 years through a regional commercial office , but the addition of a logistics hub allows it to account for growing demand from markets such as China , India , Japan , Indonesia and Thailand . The partnership will see it manage the hub ’ s operations and focus on global logistics and multicarrier ‘ hub-in-transit ’ services in Singapore . Braskem made the decision to invest in the partnership and jointly develop solutions that give the region ’ s markets increased access to critical |
products like sustainable packaging .
This development comes off the back of Braskem ’ s existing partnership with PSA , whose Forward Hubbing Scheme allows Braskem to use PSA Singapore – the world ’ s largest container transhipment hub – as a regional distribution focal point . This offers it the fastest lead time to market and comprehensive access to PSA Singapore ’ s inventory details . “ Our growth strategy is fully based on innovation and sustainable development . Strong and consistent presence in a powerhouse like
|