People at the core

On 16 May 2025, more than 250 guests from across Europe gathered in Lugano for the Hupac Intermodal Forum – an event dedicated to exploring the future of combined transport in times of disruption and change.

Under the theme "Resilience & Digital Transformation", industry leaders and logistics experts engaged in high-level discussions on how to strengthen Europe's intermodal system – both physically and digitally. Two keynote sessions and panel debates explored the pressing challenges facing the sector: infrastructure bottlenecks, digital integration, and how to reverse the trend of declining rail freight volumes.
In his welcome speech, Hupac Chairman Hans-Jörg Bertschi made a strong call for political action. “We need a reliable and resilient rail infrastructure across Europe,” he said. His appeal focused on five key measures:

• Coordinated rail construction planning with diversion capacity and no full closures
• Swiss funding for the upgrade of the Vosges tunnels as part of a new 4-meter left-bank corridor
• Support for hybrid locomotive operations on the Wörth–Strasbourg route
• Continuation of Swiss operating subsidies for combined transport beyond 2030
• Active Swiss leadership in the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean corridor

These proposals aim to restore the competitiveness of intermodal transport and secure the success of Switzerland’s modal shift policy.

On the industry side, Hupac is responding with concrete actions. CEO Michail Stahlhut presented the company’s new “Pipeline Concept”, which focuses on high-frequency, corridor-based transport services. Combined with a bunch of resilience measures and targeted digitalisation, this approach promises more robust, flexible, and productive intermodal operations.

The Forum concluded with a clear message: resilience is not just a response to disruption – it’s the foundation for the future of intermodal transport.