Rhine-Alpine News
Future Gotthard train “Giruno” starts passenger operation
Photo: © SBB
The new Gotthard train of Swiss Railways SBB “Giruno” started commercial passenger operation these days, taking over first services between Basel and Zurich. From the end of 2019, these new trains will run through the Gotthard tunnel, to become the backbone of long distance passenger service along that axis. Read the news in German, French and Italian:
https://news.sbb.ch/artikel/89339/der-neue-gotthardzug-giruno-ist-mit-kundinnen-und-kunden-unterwegs
https://news.sbb.ch/fr/article/89339/des-voyageurs-a-bord-du-giruno-le-nouveau-train-du-gothard
Port of Antwerp stimulates rail and barge transport
The seventh Mobility Event organised by Port of Antwerp was held in April. This year the event was dedicated to the modal shift. Port of Antwerp presented a series of new initiatives to make rail and barge transport more attractive.
https://www.portofantwerp.com/en/news/port-antwerp-stimulates-rail-and-barge-transport
The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure presents the Inland Waterway Transport Masterplan
Photo (Martin Brandt): Inland waterway transport on the Rhine
The Inland Waterway Transport Masterplan, presented these days, focuses on five key priorities:
- • Infrastructure: investing billions of euros to ensure that there is sufficient financial, structural and manpower capacity in the waterway sector.
- • Environmental friendliness and fleet structure: supporting the industry in switching to more efficient and lower-emission vessels.
- • Digitalization: creating Inland Waterway Transport 4.0 – connecting the ports, digitalizing the locks and vessels, automating the terminals.
- • Boosting the multimodal transport chain: the objective is that inland waterway transport should account for 12 percent of the freight moved in the German modal split.
- • More skilled workers: support the trade associations in attracting new workers and in their nationwide drive at recruiting fairs.
While Germany has an extensive network of navigable rivers and canals, the Rhine axis can be considered the backbone of German and European inland waterway transport.
