editorial

A hot autumn solutions for intermodal logistics www.hupac.ch December 2007 A wave of strikes of this mag- nitude had never been seen before in rail freight transport. Several times during the autumn, engine drivers of the state railways held strikes: in Expensive mountain route Germany, in France and in Italy.

In 2006, 25 million tonnes of goods passed the Swiss Alps on the railway, 17 million of Nevertheless, we are confident. which via combined transport. The bulk of the goods is transported over the Gotthard route, The strikes are the visible emblem of a change in the which celebrated its 125-year anniversary this year. At the Alptransit Conference in Locarno, world of rail: the state railways Hupac director Bernhard Kunz spoke about the demands and perspectives of combined are accepting the challenge of transport through . the market opening up – a not easy process which demands courage, determination and The church of Was- alpine road transit to 650,000 truck clear-sightedness. sen enwrapped in shipments per year, subsidies in the red immediately amount of CHF 2 billion are needed Hupac has been able to limit the caught the atten- according to Hupac. “That is 12% negative effects of the strikes. tion of the rail pas- less than today”, Kunz explained. Through close cooperation sengers during the “However, in reality the subsidy with different private railway festivities for the amount per shifted shipment is companies, we have found solu- Gotthard anniver- reduced considerably more, as the tions to get our trains to their sary. Sometimes the subsidies per shipment diminish destinations despite the strikes. red splash of colour automatically due to the annual Although 20% of trains via appeared from the quantity increases of up to 20%”. France and 5% of trains via Ger- left, sometimes Hupac balances the gap between many had to be cancelled, our Bernhard Kunz Director of the from the right, first the decreasing operational contribu- customers value our efforts. Hupac Group from one side of the tions and the escalating rail costs banks of the through productivity increases. Once again our strategy of and then from the However, the mountain routes set using the chances of the mar- other. Near Wassen, the Gotthard tight boundaries for these efforts. ket opening has been proven route overcomes a height differ- successful. As long ago as a ence of three hundred metres Kunz assessed the market opening decade, we began to build up using loop tunnels and steep ramps in rail haulage positively, which is alternatives, thus distributing – in terms of railway technology, a proceeding particularly quickly on the risks. Today we are able, master piece, in operational terms, the Gotthard corridor and is hav- and be it even through emer- a laborious and costly affair. ing a positive effect with higher gency solutions, to keep our productivity and flexibility. How- transportation going in crisis The trains climb up for 650 ever, he believes that the technical situations and through the metres to the Gotthard tunnel system limits need to urgently waves of strikes over these and then brake on the other side be overcome, since these limits months. over a downward gradient of 850 cause huge costs and slow the metres. “The fact that this route, liberalisation process. The lack Ensuring the functionality of our with its 125-year infrastructure, of terminal infrastructures also network is a strategic task for is still efficient and has growth causes him concern. “A sensitive us. With extensive investment, potential even today borders on factor which has a direct effect on we are increasing the stability a wonder”, emphasises Hupac the market chances of combined and reliability of our services. director Bernhard Kunz at the transport”, Kunz warned. With a Because we want to protect International Alptransit Conference lead-time of five to ten years for our most important asset, i.e. for the 125th Gotthard anniver- the construction of new terminals the trust of our customers, who sary in Locarno in mid October. there is already an acute need for hand their shipments over to us action today. “We are confident to day after day. But the Gotthard route has its find solutions for terminals east price. The heavy goods trains only “In non-transalpine transport, for In the discussions about the new of Milan in cooperation with the get over the mountain using helper example between Eastern Europe Freight Transportation Law 2011- Lombardy Region and RFI in the Alessandro Valenti engines. In in the north and Belgium, Hupac has operated 2018, the level of subsidies is a foreseeable future. The situation Business Manager Shuttle Net and in Bellinzona in the south, independent transportation for years central issue. In order to achieve is serious in a number of Central of Hupac Intermodal depending on the train weight and achieves high growth rates.” the shift objective of reducing trans- and North European markets”. and length, one or two additional locomotives need to be harnessed. The multiple traction boosts the News railway costs. “Until the opening of the in at least ten years time, this will remain Shuttle Net: new products unchanged”, Kunz explained. In the future the flat rail route will With about one hundred trains per Hupac created the first intermodal Busto and to the whole intermodal Gateway to Italy handle trains up to 25% heavier day, the Hupac Shuttle Net is one connection between the industrial network of Italy. In November, a daily connection using one locomotive less. This will of the largest networks for com- regions in East Germany and the between Piacenza and Busto increase productivity and provide bined transport. In autumn this Ruhr district and Rotterdam. The France/Spain network via Oleggio started. It allows leeway for cheaper rail prices. year, Hupac introduced a number Duisburg hub is gaining interest Since September, a new connec- to connect Zeebrugge to the of new trains. also for Swiss imports/exports: tion between Antwerp and Hendaye Italian network via Busto, and Until then, transalpine combined since November, a daily shuttle exists in the up-and-coming eco- Piacenza to the international transport is dependent on operat- Duisburg hub train runs between Duisburg and nomic area in Southwest France network centered at Busto. In ing subsidies provided by the Central location in the Ruhr dis- Wiler. on the border to Spain. With three September, Hupac increased the Swiss government. These subsi- trict, good connections from/ departures per week, Hupac is supply between the Busto Arsizio dies are used to reduce the high to Rotterdam – these properties Rotterdam D Frankfurt thus expanding the supply between hub and the regions of Emilia- rail costs to a market tolerable make the Duisburg terminal an In September 2007 Hupac intro- Bene­lux and South France/Spain, Romagna/Lazio. level, thus making combined important hub in the Hupac Shut- duced a new daily shuttle train that already has a connection Ant- transport able to compete with tle Net. In September, a new between Rotterdam Botlek/RSC werp D Perpignan. By the end of the road. “It is not at all true, that shuttle train Duisburg D Buna/ and Frankfurt/Main. In Frankfurt 2007, another connection Basel D For more information and time­ combined transport generally Schwarzheide began. With it, there are ongoing connections to Perpignan will follow. tables go to www.hupac.ch requires subsidies”, Kunz clarified. Combined transport protects the climate

The transportation of a shipment through Switzerland has lower in combined transport between carbon dioxide emissions due Cologne and Milan reduces CO2 to the huge proportion of emissions by 67% in comparison hydropower used to produce with road transportation. This the railway’s energy (100 %). conclusion was reached by a } Energy consumption The most study by UIRR about CO2 reduc- important parameter is the ratio tion of combined transport on of cargo load to overall weight. selected routes in Europe on Long, heavy, fully loaded trains the basis of concrete operating use the required energy particu- data. On average, the combined larly efficiently. Other factors, transport chain reduces CO2 which have a positive effect, are emissions by 55%. The balance is low inclines in routes, central ter- especially favourable on the cor- minal locations and low shunting ridor between Cologne and Milan. requirements. Transportation companies which use the Hupac Shuttle Cologne D Taking into account the high Busto, save the environment about number of shipments, which are 1,000 kg of climate-damaging transported every year on the carbon dioxide per road shipment. “race tracks” of combined trans- The savings are predominantly port, Hupac and its customers are Growth despite due to the following factors: making a considerable contribution } Energy mix The country-spe- to climate protection. cific type of energy production tight resources? (hydropower, nuclear, fossil) You will find the study at has a strong impact on the www.hupac.chHupac Group At the Hupac Customer Conventions, the focus lay on resource result. Combined transport Environment bottlenecks in transportation.

Whether road, to the increased demand in 2006, rail or water will in many cases only be avail- – the transport able in the coming year. sector has Customer to battle with “Nevertheless, we were able to considerably achieve a 15% growth together resource bottlenecks as a result with our customers this year by of the rapid market growth. In September”, emphasised Hupac the rail sector, too, supply and director Bernhard Kunz. Also, demand are currently diverging, the quality as measured by the with partially negative consequences punctuality of the trains slightly for the quality and flexibility improved in the first half of 2007 of services. in comparison with the previous year’s period. In total, 73% of the At the annual Customer Conven- Shuttle Net trains operated on tions, which took place in October time against 71% of the previous and November in Rotterdam, year. “We use every opportunity Antwerp, Busto Arsizio, Copen- to improve the load factor of the hagen, Cologne and Singen, the trains and the running performance current problems of combined of our wagons”, Kunz explained. transport also came up. As a rea- months for rail wagons, one and “And despite tight resources, we son for the resource bottlenecks, a half years for locomotives, up introduced new connections in the Hupac managers named the to two years for the training of cooperation with our rail partners long lead-times for acquisition of engine drivers. Consequently, – that is our contribution to the rail resources: more than twelve resources which were ordered due growing transport market”.

News Hupac Group Civil defence exercise in Busto Terminal On a quiet Saturday morning, an rectly. The local government and recertified accident occurs between two trucks the mobilised forces were satisfied. at the Busto Arsizio terminal. A “It went well”, says Sergio Crespi, possibly poisonous liquid streams “Our emergency aids were able to The management system of the from a leak in one of the tankers, intervene efficiently and in good Hupac Group was subject to an fire breaks out and there are time. The coordination with the extensive inspection by the two injured, one of whom is lying rescue teams was outstanding”. Bureau Veritas in October. After unconscious in the driver’s cabin. a successfully completed audit, In 1998, Hupac had taken part with Bureau Veritas congratulated the Luckily, this is not the chronicle the Lombardy Region and the civil company on the outstanding inte- of a transport tragedy; rather, a defence in the “Malpensa 98” exer- gration of ISO norms into its simulated exercise by the Busto cise. In the past years, combined complex operating procedures. Arsizio local authorities, including fire exercises by the fire brigade and The Hupac Group was conse- brigade, police, Red Cross and civil local authorities have also taken quently recertified for another defence. The objective is to check place in the terminals of Singen three years. With the certification the operative coordination options of and Aarau and in the Luino railway in accordance with ISO 9001 the rescue forces and civil defence station. “We welcome exercises and ISO 140001 and the inspec- in case of emergency. “We made of this kind”, emphasises Onorato tion by external experts, Hupac our plant available on the request of Zanini, the safety responsible of proves that it recognises the the municipality”, says Sergio Crespi, the Hupac Group. “They provide demands of its customers and general director of Hupac SpA. the necessary opportunity to test partners as well as those of the the reliability of our services in environment and fulfils them with The exercise was carried out suc- case of emergency. We must be The local rescue teams test emergency operations. constant quality. cessfully, all services worked cor- prepared for any situation”. Two years of the Busto-Gallarate Terminal With 250,000 m² area and 12 gantry cranes, the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate terminal is one of the largest and most modern transhipment centres in Europe. Two years after activating the terminal extention, Hupac strikes a balance. A challenge in technology and The challenge in management and operation environment protection Francesco Crivelli and Sergio Crespi Giorgio Pennacchi The terminal has fulfilled operational transhipment centres in Europe and Two years after the Gallarate ter- } Introduction of a coordination against the previous year. Despite expectations. The site is divided into one of the first that was built taking minal opened as an expansion to system in order to accelerate the heavy increase, the average two structured and equal zones for into account environment protection the existing Busto Arsizio tranship- the delivery and pick-up of unloading time has dropped: from safety and reliability reasons, includ- and social responsibility in line with the ment centre, Hupac SpA and its loading units 37 minutes in 2005 to 33 minutes criteria for sustainability. All employees is able to say with the obligations of the authori- pride that they have risen to the ties with regards to environ- challenge of operating the largest ment pollution were fulfilled: terminal in Europe. }Surveillance of the noise climate before and after At the opening, the Swiss transport commissioning minister Moritz Leuenberger called }Periodic inspections with the new site “the largest European ecological indicators for terminal on the south of the Alps … the evaluation of eco- the navel of the world”. The other systematic modifications members of the authorities that were in the system itself and in present also made reference to the the immediate proximity significance of the terminal for the }Half-yearly analyses of economy in Alto Milanese. Today, chemical components Hupac SpA employs 235 people, in the groundwater of which 228 are used in the Busto Giorgio Pennacchi Director of Engineering for the Hupac Group Arsizio-Gallarate terminal services. In addition, numerous mitiga- In the coming years, further growth ing the railway platforms, routes and tion, compensation and urbanisation is anticipated. The terminal also gen- footpaths. The infrastructures are measures were taken during the erates another 15,000 workplaces functional and easily accessible, which realisation of the terminal. In light of in the supply industry. enables safe continuous operation the upheavals of one part of the land, even in the case of a breakdown. Hupac committed itself to improving The terminal is one of the biggest Control and electronic remote surveil- the existing environmental situation. and most efficient transhipment cen- lance of the railway traffic, the electric The uniqueness of the terminal can tres with the best customer focus. gantry cranes and all facilities of the be traced back to an intelligent con- A huge satisfaction for the compa- transhipment centre increase pro- nection between technology and ny, which has been able to increase ductivity and facilitate management. environmental consciousness. One the number of train pairs each day example of this is the biotopes in the from 8 (1989) to today’s 25. After The selected crane type with its light terminal; natural areas of water which the commissioning of the new termi- structure has one of the most inno- offer a suitable living space and nal, Hupac was confronted with a Hupac SpA represented by Davide Muzio, Maurizio Tronchi, Francesco Crivelli vative technologies on the market. nutrition for wild birds and animals. number of problems, including the and Sergio Crespi (from left to right) Examples are the high operating introduction and optimal use of a speed and the power recovery during In October 2007, the twelfth crane new technology, the integration and braking and lowering the loads. Other was put into operation, further training of staff, the intense } Technical improvement of the in 2007. This result is of huge advantages are the interface with the improving customer service. In Janu- increase of traffic to be dealt with. facilities significance for both the customers Goal information system, which allows ary 2008, the renovation of the his- Therefore, the following measures } Initiatives to improve the relationship and the productivity of the site. the transmission of the loading units’ torical part of the Busto Arsizio-Galla- were taken: between drivers and terminal staff In addition, punctuality of the trains position coordinates, as well as the rate terminal will be tackled. At the } Improvement of bottlenecks improved significantly: 85% of the crane’s online operational diagnostics. same time, the check-in area will be (check-in, operations office, Today, the Busto Arsizio terminal trains departed on-time, that redesigned so that vehicles can access siding) moves between 35,000 and 40,000 means with a delay of less than Today, the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate reach the terminal from the road } 24-hour operation with new rota loading units per month. This is 60 minutes; in the previous year terminal is one of the most advanced more quickly and fluidly. planning equivalent to a growth of 13% this was 77%.

Leila bogies: waiting for the market breakthrough There could be an end to railway noise. The technology exists and is almost ready for mass production. However, the market breakthrough would have to be accelerated by a political decision. Opinions from the Noise Symposium in Olten on 28th August.

Leila, light and low-noise: this is road and other combined transport the acceptance of rail freight trans- the name of the freight wagon operators. The additional costs for port among the affected popula- bogie developed by the Josef Mey- noise reduction must be bolstered tion, seconded the SP national er AG in Rheinfelden in cooperation if Leila is to make a breakthrough councillor Susanne Leutenegger with the Technical University of on the market. “As long as cheap- Oberholzer, who has supported the Berlin. Professor Hecht explained er but, unfortunately, more noise- consequent enforcement of noise the properties of “his” invention: intensive bogies rattle through protection for years. “We need a “The Leila bogie has normal dimen- Europe, this bogie is on the back railway pricing system which also sions, but instead of brake pads, foot. Politics are also called upon takes noise levels into account it has disc brakes, and thanks to here”, explained Simoncelli. The with a bonus-penalty system in the its radial adjustability by means of reduction of noise emissions of rail pricing for freight trains”, so the a cross-anchor system, it takes transport is an important issue of councillor’s demand. “Anyone who curves with a lot less friction. It is environmental protection; the gov- rolls louder should pay more. This suitable for higher velocities (up ernment awards a small discount creates an incentive to retrofit the to 140 km/h), which facilitates for trains with wagons fitted with old freight wagons”. the flow of traffic on heavily used plastic-soled brake pads, but the routes. In contrast to a train with development in this direction is too Hupac representative Erasmo old brake pads, one which uses slow. “The moment has come to Simoncelli sees another reason for brakes with plastic pads causes impose similar requirements as in the redesign of the railway pricing 9 decibels less noise. A Leila train living near the tracks. During test wagon owners are able and willing road traffic”, Simoncelli emphasis- system in connection with Leila. generates another 18 decibels and measurement runs with a to pay more than double for these es, “those who pollute the environ- “The Leila bogie reduces the rolling less noise”. Hupac wagon in summer 2006, technically state of the art bogies”. ment more, in this case with noise, friction, and therefore, the track the properties of the revolution- should pay more, particularly in wear-and-tear. This invalidates the This means that 64 wagons fitted ary bogie were checked and This is precisely where the crux of transalpine transport. In air traffic, argument by infrastructure opera- with Leila bogies do not make subsequently optimised. Leila’s the matter lies, explained Hupac the landing charges are also noise- tors of having to demand higher more noise than a single rail series maturity should be attained representative Erasmo Simoncelli. determined”. rail prices for freight transport than carriage fitted with the old pad in autumn 2008, explained Josef- As all other operators in combined for passenger transport. With Leila, brakes. These are dream values, Meyer CEO Dominik Suter. The transport, Hupac follows with The reduction of noise in rail we could demand equal or even which would directly affect the new device will only be successful its price policy the market, that transport is of strategic political cheaper route prices than for pas- quality of life of millions of people “if railway companies and freight means the competition with the significance in order to increase senger transport”. Hupac 1967-2007 “Do you still remember?” The pioneers of Hupac celebrated the 40-year anniversary with a festive lunch in Lugano.

“Do you still remember?” was one ardising the profiles of the tunnels of the most overheard remarks at and other railway infrastructures the festive anniversary lunch “I pio- throughout Europe so that com- nieri della Hupac” on 30th May at bined transport was even possible. Hotel De la Paix in Lugano. Every- “With our own profile measurement one came to the anniversary. The wagon, we measured the profiles remaining members of the founding using expanded rods. If not one generation were warmly welcomed rod broke, we knew the profile was by director Bernhard Kunz. Hans enough”. The adjustment of the Bertschi was there, snow-white, profiles cost the SBB 50 million, an vivid as ever, who did not give up insider knows, no small potatoes and his idea of combined transport after a strong commitment to combined the first refusal by SBB bosses and transport. Cuno Amiet, former Rolling stock show for the Gotthard anniversary Giampietro Arrigoni Hans Staub 125 years of Gotthard, 40 years of Hupac – with a rolling stock show at the public event in the two jubilarians celebrated jointly.

Hundreds of rail fans marvelled at they are used by private railway rior height between 2.55 and 3.0 the latest Hupac rail wagons at companies. metres depending on the route pro- the public event on 8th and 9th file. Through the low-laying loading September in Biasca. Even non- The latest freight carriage model space, C 70-400 statute jumbo Hans Bertschi, Theo Allemann Dr. Luciano Camponovo Theo Stucki insiders could take a close look was the T4.2 flat wagon. It facil- swap containers can be transport- at a combined transport freight itates the transportation of (P) ed to North Italy and high cube spoke to the state’s railways train. Hupac rolling stock coordi- 386 statute semitrailers with an containers to South Italy on the again after a change in the nator Fabio Contrafatto had lots interior height of 2.77 meters. Gotthard route. management. Triumphantly, The decisive gain of 7 centime- he shows the black-and-white tres was achieved by lowering the Versatility and flexibility are the photograph with the first trail- longitudinal support in the area of central properties of the new T5 er shipment convoy in Swiss the container gripper edge. “With pocket wagon. This is suitable transport history. Samuel Ruggli Cuno Amiet this wagon, another segment of for the transportation of mega- road freight haulage can access trailers and conventional semi-trail- Dr. Luciano Camponovo also operations boss at SBB says, “I still combined transport”, explained ers with an interior height between came, commercial director of SBB remember how we created time­ Contrafatto. 2.55 and 3.0 meters. By turning after Franz Hegner, patron of those tables with ruler and ink... unbeliev- down the locking plates, the pocket first hours. Painful gaps appeared able in the current computer era”. The T4.2 flat wagon is 1.5 tonnes wagon transforms into a container at this remembrance lunch, Pietro lighter than the previous model. wagon for heavy-weight containers Ris, general director of Danzas and New wagon types were also debated “The reduction in tare is an impor- up to a maximum loading weight of one of the founders, died a few in an international commission, in tant requirement in the develop- 68.5 tonnes. “The T5 thus increases months ago, also co-founders Franz which the representative of a foreign T5 pocket wagon ment of our cars”, Contrafatto the flexibility of the train composi- Hegner, Sandro Bernasconi and railway seriously stated, as Theo tions and improves Ueli Maeder are no longer with us. Stucki remembers, that the truck the availability for manufacturers should design the the widest range SBB man Samuel Ruggli, born trailers to fit the existing sizes of the of loading units”, in 1946 and therefore the young- railway carriages. However, Hupac Contrafatto empha- est at the table, responsible for implemented a service culture, and sises. The techni- the commercial side, sums it up: the technicians from SBB have devel- cal innovations “Sportsmanship and vigour charac- oped more and more new genera- include the new terised the collaboration of Hupac tions of wagons in cooperation with generation three- with SBB!” With bated pride, the pio- Hupac in order to meet the diverse step height-adjust- neers look back on that which they customer demands. Giampietro able support have created. Hans Staub, one Arrigoni, who learned the job from bracket. It enables of the men of the first hour, who scratch at the SBB in cooperation Mega II 60-foot container wagon the securing of the worked in the field of operations, with Hupac, has many stories to tell. semi-trailer’s king remembers how Federal Councillor pin without wheel Ritschard asked him: “This trailer There was complete agreement further explained. “The new, ultra- rugs within the pocket. A crash ele- shipment transportation... do you that Theo Allemann, director light railway wagons contribute to ment protects the king pin from believe it has a future”. Ritschard of Hupac until 2003, played an using the tight rail resources effi- impacts during rail shunting. always asked this question, remem- important part in the expansion of ciently and to optimising the avail- bers Staub, “I had the feeling that the business with his optimistic, ability and planning of rolling he comprehended the potential of forwards-looking disposition. Alle- stock”. For more information on Hupac combined transport early on”. mann was modest, “we were only rolling stock go to Theo Stucki, responsible for able to achieve this as a team”. The 60-foot container wagon, www.hupac.chHupac Group technology in a leading position at introduced in 2005, also weighs Rolling Stock the SBB, tells of problems of stand- Werner Catrina 2.6 tonnes less than a conven- tional carrying wagon. As a result, T4.2 flat wagon up to four additional loading units Send this coupon to fax +41 91 6952801 per train can be transported with dialogue the same total train weight. As impressum of questions to answer. “Unbeliev- with all new Hupac wagons, the Please send me the following issues of Moving. able how much interest for freight 60-foot container wagon is Hupac SA transportation there is among the equipped with low-noise synthetic Name Viale R. Manzoni 6 CH-6830 Chiasso population”, the technician mar- brake pads. Thus Hupac fulfils the Tel. +41 91 6952800 velled. specifications of the Swiss trans- Company Fax +41 91 6952801 E-mail: [email protected] port policy to reduce noise in rail Address The crowd puller was the shiny transportation. Editor: Irmtraut Tonndorf Photos: René Steinegger, SBB Cargo, silver ES 64 U2 engine, a sec- Post code/Town Alina van Meggelen, Giorgio Mombelli ond generation four-axis electric The low-laying double wagon Mega Layout: Sestosenso srl two-system locomotive of the II, an almost 37-metre long railway Tel. Fax Printed on ecological paper with FSC EuroSprinter family. The locomo- carriage introduced in 2003, was Mixed Sources (CQ-COC 000010) and Ecolabel (Rif. IT/011/04) certification tive is equipped for Switzerland also shown. It is used on all Hupac E-mail and Germany in terms of its trac- Shuttle Net routes. It facilitates the tion and safety technology. Hupac transportation of standard and Please send me Moving in Italian German English solutions for intermodal logistics has three of these locomotives; mega-trailers with an available inte-