Less lorries and more rails: Alptransit are going to halve the traffic on road

 In Switzerland, more than 60% of goods travel on railroad (63.4%). This reduces from 650,000 to 700,000 transalpine passages of heavy vehicles every year, with remarkable effects in both terms of costs and reduction of traffic and pollution. But the objective that Switzerland has set is even more ambitious, that is to reach a maximum of 650,000 passages of lorries in 2018. It is not simple to reach. According to the data publicised in the last days by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport, last year the heavy vehicles that passed through the Swiss Alps were about 1.2 million.

Why Alptransit is important – The Gotthard road tunnel will play a fundamental part in achieving the objectives that Swiss has set, but its importance concerns the whole involved route since, once it will be working, it will facilitate the connection between Italy and Northern Europe. However, the benefits of this infrastructure will depend on the conditions of the railroad which is to the South and to the North of the tunnel: “Since 2020,” according to the report of the Swiss ministry, “the railroad will have a competitive infrastructure thanks to the realisation of a 4-metre-long corridor ( the expansion of the rail infrastructure that will allow the passage of containers of a total height of 4 metres – editor’s note) and on the unbroken flat railroad on the route of Saint Gotthard.”

Switzerland is going to pay a part of the Italian infrastructure – The Federal Council intends to strengthen the transport of traffic thanks to new actions, some of which are also concerning Italy and, in particular, the Luino-Gallarate line. Switzerland, according to a last year’s decision, is going to cover a part of the costs which are necessary to modernise the Italian infrastructures: “The plan for the building and the financing of a 4-metre-long unbroken corridor along the San Gottardo route is under the examination of the parliament. Moreover, it is necessary to realize additional capacity for the terminals of tyre- and rail-transfer, especially in the North Italy, as noticed by Switzerland and Italy in an intent declaration.”

Debate in Luino – The effect of an action like Alptransit is going to be analysed during a meeting planned for today, 2 December at 5pm at Palazzo Verbania in Luino. The initiative is promoted by the Chamber of Commerce of Varese together with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Italy and the City of Luino. It will be the occasion to highlight how the 4-metre-long corridor will enhance even more – in the future – the role of  the Luino line, as a trade corridor for goods, facilitated by low inclines, and by the presence, in the South, of efficient terminals for the transfer of semi-trailers and containers. The traffic of goods on the Bellinzona-Luino-Gallarate line is expected to grow considerably, but this should not involve the surrender of the potentialities of the line for the passenger traffic.