Swiss rail hauliers slam new safety measures

Freight traffic regulations: critical voices are raised Keystone-SDA

Swiss freight rail safety measures, following anaccident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2023, have been criticised by the Swiss Association of Private Carriage Owners (VAP).

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The measures will amount to increased costs, a shortage of freight wagons and tight schedules as the main problems, VAP complains.

When questioned by Keystone-ATS, the association estimates the increase in costs to be in the millions of francs, to be borne almost entirely by freight train operators, who will therefore also be faced with a massive increase in the organisational burden.

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It also blames the excessive increase in the workload for its representatives compared to the other players involved, such as hauliers and infrastructure operators.

The immediate entry into force of the regulations, which are to be completed by the end of the year, is also criticised, since, according to the VAP, it is still unclear how these are to be implemented. “There is already a lack of maintenance companies, capacity, resources and components,” VAP said.

Bad consequences

In the short term, bottlenecks could arise, potentially jeopardising the security of supply of goods in Switzerland, warns VAP. In the medium term, road transport will become more convenient, leading to an increase in emissions and the risk of accidents.

Even with these measures, however, it is emphasised that an absolute guarantee of safety is not achieved.

Following the report of the Swiss Federal Safety Investigation Service, the transport ministry has decided on a mandatory increase in the wheel size of freight wagons and an intensification of technical inspections, with the corresponding documentation always having to be updated.

Swiss Federal Railways has already expressed its support for the move.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/ mga

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