Switzerland’s Gotthard tunnel will partially reopen for freight transport next week after a derailed train blocked one of its two tubes, though the critical route won’t return to full operability for several months.
Passenger trains will continue to be diverted and there could be additional freight-capacity problems as transportation picks up from its subdued summer levels, Switzerland’s federal rail operator SBB said Wednesday.
The 57-kilometer Gotthard tunnel, the world’s longest railway passage, last year accounted for nearly 70% of all train freight moving through the Swiss alps. A large number of steel tubes, paper and packaging products for Italian companies are regularly transported via the tunnel.
Read More: Derailed Train in Swiss Tunnel Blocks Freight, Holidaymakers
Damage from the crash was worse than SBB initially thought. The affected car derailed about 8 kilometers before the crash, causing extensive damage to the rails. While freight transport will resume Aug. 23, both tubes of the tunnel are expected to be operable on a limited basis at some point in the beginning of 2024, perhaps as late as March.
Workers currently don’t have electricity in the tunnel because of damaged cables. Adding to the challenge, damage to the rails is particularly difficult to repair as they are set in concrete.
“We don’t know what led to this accident,” SBB Chief Executive Officer Vincent Ducrot said in a press conference.
Transport companies have been searching for alternative freight routes since the accident.
“This week there must be solutions for freight traffic, otherwise we will have a huge problem throughout Europe,” said Irmtraut Tonndorf, spokeswoman for combined transport company Hupac.
Some transporters have redirected trains via the Lötschberg/Simplon route and the Gotthard panorama route. Those routes, though, can only be used by lighter and shorter trains, limiting capacity. And the Simplon tunnel will close on Aug. 23 for scheduled construction work, the SBB said.
Freight is piling up in terminals, Tonndorf said. Food retailers Coop and Migros have shifted at least some shipments to road transportation, local media reported last week.
--With assistance from Wilfried Eckl-Dorna.
(Updates with additional details throughout.)
