The Swiss combined transport operator Hupac achieved an increase in traffic of 8 per cent in the first half of 2018. Transalpine transport through Switzerland developed particularly well with an increase of 9.4 per cent. New subsidiary ERS Railways has started contributing to this growth, the railway group announced.

In total,Hupac carried 439,409 road consignments or 805,693 TEUs – amounting to 30,000 more than in the same period of last year. Traffic on the north-south axis in transit via Switzerland developed particularly well. Here Shuttle Net and Company Shuttle units of Hupac Intermodal achieved growth of 9.3 per cent.

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ERS Railways

ERS Railways made its first contribution to the positive result of non-transalpine traffic, accounting for a growth of 7.5 per cent. The combined transport operator, based in Rotterdam and Hamburg, has been part of the Hupac Group since the beginning of June 2018. ERS operates over 100 container trains per week between the German seaports and various southern German destinations. Since August 2018 the company has also been managing the shuttle train Rotterdam-Kornwestheim of the Hupac Group.

Future

Hupac expects continued constant growth for the second half of 2018. The wagon fleet is expected to grow by 15 per cent this year. The first preparatory works are being carried out on the Milano Smistamento and Brwinów (Warsaw) terminal projects. By the end of the year, Hupac’s eight multi-system locomotives will be handed over to the rail partners and put into operation – a contribution to overcome the continuing quality bottlenecks in the rail network with modern, cross-border locomotives, the company explained.