West Europe - Area 1

After the Simplon, now also the Gotthard line is suitable for P400 – a big step for modal shift

Busto Arsizio, 15 December 2020, 01.15 am: departure of the 43074 train to Ludwigshafen, a very special train carrying a load of P400 trailers through the Gotthard for the very first time.

It’s a major milestone for combined transport, the result of many years of planning and construction works on the Basel-Chiasso/Luino line up to the terminals of the Milan area. Hupac would like to thank the Swiss Federal Office of Transport, the Italian Ministry of Transport as well as the infrastructure managers of both countries for the completion of these important works, which offer new growth opportunities for environmentally friendly freight transport between Northern Europe and Italy.

From now on, the P400 trailer segment can count on an adequate transalpine infrastructure in terms of train height. The infrastructure works to extend train length up to 740 metres still have to be completed – works that will continue until 2030 to cover the entire transalpine corridor to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Hupac is adapting its transport offer for P400 trailers. From January 2021, our network for trailers with a side height of 4 metres includes 160 rotations per week connecting numerous terminals in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.