Volumes along the Frejus Railway are well below pre-closure levels
A month after the re-opening of the Frejus Railway between France and Italy, traffic remains well down on pre-closure levels, according to one of the major rail companies using the line. "Operationally, the resumption of services has gone well, but it's been a less positive picture for volumes. To date, we're at 50% of what we were doing before the closure of the line," Alexandre Gallo, President and CEO of DB Cargo France told Railfreight.com. He attributed this to the economic downturn, particularly in the automotive market, but also to changes in the habits of shippers, some of whom are routing via Switzerland. "There are also shippers who switched to road transport (following the closure of the line) and have signed medium-term agreements with road hauliers.
We think volumes are likely to pick up in 2026," Gallo added.
The death of AFA services
Meanwhile, more information has emerged on the closure of one of Europe's pioneering combined rail-road freight transport services, the Autoroute Ferroviaire Alpine (AFA) or Alpine Rolling Highway. This service used to move semi-trailers between Aiton, near Chambery in France, and Orbassano, in proximity to Turin, in northern Italy, but was halted effective 21 April. In a message to customers, AFA confirmed that the service has been discontinued, with no prospect of a resumption at present. "Although the company has been given the chance to restart with three guaranteed daily train paths, the lack of public funding is making the business economically unsustainable," it said.
Launched back in 2003, at its height it was transporting up to 240 accompanied and unaccompanied semi-trailers and tankers daily. The AFA also offered connections to Calais, with possible on-forwarding to the UK.
France criticses Italy
Local French MP Emilie Bonnivard told the France 3 TV channel that she and colleagues had been meeting with the French Transport minister over the past months to try and find a solution with the European Commission which would allow the AFA to continue. She criticised the Italian authorities for not showing the same commitment to save the service.
The AFA is said to have employed around 100 staff on the Italian side and a slightly smaller workforce in France. "As far as we're concerned, at all levels - elected representatives, the ministry and the intergovernmental commission - we remain mobilised," Bonnivard added. According to other media reports, the AFA had liabilities totalling 4 million euros.
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References
- ^ See the offer (www.railfreight.com)