Maritime Inland Services

Two-digit growth rate in transportation

Chiasso, 1.2.2017   During the past year, the Swiss intermodal transport operator Hupac transported approximately 737,000 road shipments by rail, which represents an increase of 11.5% or 75,000 shipments compared to the prior year. Hupac consistently continues its growth strategy and is currently preparing for the company’s 50^th anniversary.

Traffic development   2016 was a record year for Hupac: for the first time, the traffic volume clearly exceeded the levels seen before the economic crisis. The developments in the segment of transalpine traffic through Switzerland were particularly active and resulted in an increase of 19.4%. In the Shuttle Net network traffic growth was boosted once again by the market segment of four-meter semitrailers. Hupac’s four-meter network covers Belgium, Holland, Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland with over 50 departures per week from/to Italy via Lötschberg/Simplon.

The Company Shuttle business unit, which opened in late 2015, also contributed significantly to the positive developments. Hupac handles 44 trains per week on behalf of individual transport companies. The latter assume the capacity utilisation risk of the so-called “company shuttles” and transfer the organisation and the operation of the trains to Hupac.

The non-transalpine traffic, which is comprised of the markets in Spain, Eastern Europe and the Far East, recorded a small increase of 1.5%, while the transalpine transports via Austria and France declined slightly.

New business unit   Hupac views the maritime hinterland transports as an interesting opportunity for growth. The recently established subsidiary Hupac Maritime Logistics GmbH is in the starting gate. The business unit, headed by Sven Lehmann (50), with its operating centre in Duisburg, is focusing on the western range ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Once the specific processes required for maritime transportation, such as customs, empty container handling and first/last mile transports, have been set up, Hupac expects to introduce its own maritime connections in the first half of 2017.

In the Far East segment, Hupac will open its European network for transports to/from China. Many of the shipments arriving by train from Asia that now travel the last mile on the road can be transported by rail in Hupac’s network. The business area “Landbridge China” provides connections between the networks. Feeder trains designed for this purpose are in the project phase and anticipated to be put into operation during the first half of 2017.

Outlook for 2017   This year Hupac expects the stable demand for transportation to continue. “A new phase in transalpine freight traffic is beginning with the opening of the Gotthard base tunnel”, said Hupac’s managing director Bernhard Kunz. “Transportation through the Gotthard works efficiently. In the second half of the year, the Luino route will be suspended completely because of the construction of the four-meter corridor – a considerable challenge that we will overcome jointly with our rail partners, the terminals, the infrastructure operators, and not least with our customers.”

Hupac 50 years   Hupac is celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2017. The joint venture, established in 1967 in the Ticino by four transport operators and the Swiss Federal Railways with a starting capital of CHF 500,000, has grown into a market leader in intermodal transport with operations throughout Europe. “We are proud of our past”, Bernhard Kunz emphasised. “Open markets, open systems, our own resources and innovative strength are our credo. But the key to success are our employees. Our goal is to shape the future of intermodal transport – together with our employees, our customers and our partners.”