The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV) announced its contribution of almost EUR 39.7 million towards the construction of a new transshipment facility in Domodossola, Italy.
The upcoming facility in Domodossola is designed to accommodate the transfer of both craneable and non-craneable truck shipments to rail, featuring two 700-meter tracks and 24 modules for loading semi-trailers. A unique aspect of this terminal is its capability to efficiently handle non-craneable semi-trailers, which are prevalent in Europe, using a horizontal loading system. The terminal aims to handle up to 185,000 truck shipments annually, contributing to the capacity and efficiency of transalpine rail freight transport.
This initiative is not isolated, as the Swiss federal government has previously invested in transshipment terminals outside Switzerland, in countries such as Italy, Germany, and Belgium, under Article 8 of the Goods Transport Act. These investments are part of a broader strategy to enhance the infrastructure for combined transport across Europe, facilitating the shift from road to rail freight. In 2022, terminals co-financed by the Swiss government managed to handle 1.05 million freight containers.
The Domodossola facility, which will be operated by a subsidiary of CargoBeamer based in Leipzig, is part of a larger project costing a total of 67.1 million francs. The federal government's investment covers a significant portion of the costs, with expectations for the facility to meet a minimum throughput to avoid potential refunds from CargoBeamer.
