When one of Europe's most crucial freight rail corridors halts for weeks, as with the closure of the Rhine Valley line near Rastatt from August 9 to 30, 2024, transportation companies must find swift and innovative solutions to maintain services. The closure of this critical section and the limitations on the Gäubahn line detour between Stuttgart and Singen, with insufficient daily routes and a reduced maximum profile of P386, have created a complex situation for transporters.
To address this challenge, Hupac, in collaboration with DB InfraGO, Sncf Réseau, Sbb Cargo International, and Captrain France, has developed a detour through France, effectively doubling the available capacity for freight trains. Alessandro Valenti, Director of Shuttle Net at Hupac Intermodal, explains, "This way, we can continue to offer our customers transport services with the standard P400 profile."
The new "diesel shuttle" service involves using diesel locomotives between Offenburg and Wörth to cover the non-electrified section through France. This effort includes the deployment of eleven diesel locomotives and eighty specially trained drivers, divided into double crews to ensure effective communication with national control centers.
The shuttle service is available for all freight trains on the corridor, following a regular schedule but based on the FIFO (first in, first out) principle to optimize the use of limited capacity. "This is a pioneering project, made possible through international cooperation in the sector. A project that the entire industry can be proud of," says Michail Stahlhut, CEO of Hupac. "Thanks to this initiative, we will be able to meet 80% of the transport demand in August and thus significantly support industrial supply, despite the complete closure of the main European transport axis for several weeks."
