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What do you do when Europe's most important rail freight axis is closed for weeks and only a fraction of the capacity is available on alternative routes? The closure of the Rhine Valley line near Rastatt from 9 to 30 August 2024 was announced well in advance. The severe restrictions for diversionary traffic on the Gäubahn line between Stuttgart and Singen were also known: too few train paths per day, reduced profile of maximum P386.

Together with DB InfraGO and SNCF Réseau, SBB Cargo International and Captrain France, Hupac developed an innovative diversion concept via France, thus doubling the capacity for freight trains. What's more: "We can continue to offer our customers transport services with the standard P400 profile," stresses Alessandro Valenti, Director Shuttle Net at Hupac Intermodal.

How does the "diesel shuttle" work? Diesel locomotives are placed in front of the trains between Offenburg and Wörth in order to be able to use the route via France, which is not fully electrified. Eleven diesel locomotives and 80 specially trained drivers are used in double crews: a German-speaking and a French-speaking colleague share the cab to ensure communication with the national control centres.

The shuttle service is available to all freight trains on the corridor. The trains run according to a regular timetable, but on a FIFO (first in first out) basis to avoid wasting scarce capacity. "A pioneering project, made possible thanks to international cooperation across the industry. A project of which the entire sector can be proud", says Hupac CEO Michail Stahlhut. "Thanks to this initiative, we will be able to cover 80% of the transport demand in August and thus significantly support the industrial supply - despite the complete closure of the main European transport axis for several weeks".

From an operational point of view, the complex construction situation poses a major challenge. Valenti: "Our control centre is in contact with the railways and terminals around the clock in order to manage disruptions and irregularities in the best possible way."

The Hupac Intermodal customer teams are available for information on the updated timetable and for bookings.