THIRTEEN years after launching its first rolling road service across the Alps, Swiss intermodal operator RAlpin carried its millionth lorry on February 28.
The company was created as part of Switzerland's modal shift policy to transfer transit freight traffic from road to rail, and was conceived as a complementary service to the carriage of unaccompanied freight units. RAlpin is owned by BLS Cargo, SBB Cargo, Hupac, and Trenitalia.
Around 10% of all lorries transiting Switzerland are now carried by rolling road. RAlpin transports more than 100,000 accompanied road units a year on two routes: the original link between the Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany and Novara, Italy, via the Lötschberg Tunnel; and the Gotthard link between Basle and Lugano, which was introduced in 2011.