Corridor Conference on Vital Links from North Sea to Mediterranean Attracts a Large Community

Paolo Balistreri, Cecilia Braun, Pawel Wojciechowski and Matthias Proske at the Corridor Conference

We’re thrilled to announce the huge success of our recent Rhine-Alpine Corridor Conference, « 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 – 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐧 », which was held on 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 25𝐭𝐡 in Palazzo Lombardia in Milan!

Our event brought together a range of expert speakers and attendees, who engaged in stimulating discussions on the future of the Rhine-Alpine Corridor. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝:
A keynote session with European Corridor Coordinator for the NSRM 𝐏𝐚𝐰𝐞ł 𝐖𝐨𝐣𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐤𝐢, who shared insights on the European Commission’s perspective on the merger of the Rhine-Alpine and North Sea-Mediterranean Corridors, as well as 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐧, Secretary General of POLIS, who highlighted the intricate relationship and connection between the citizens and the Corridors.
During the panel discussion on Italian regions within the broader Corridor context, regional, urban, and economic stakeholders shared their perspectives, emphasizing the strategic connections to the Mediterranean Corridor.
This was followed by a reflection session on the draft of the new Corridor Strategy for the EGTC Rhine-Alpine, focusing on topics such as greening, spatial integration, modal shift, and digitilisation and resilience.

We’re grateful to our speakers, attendees, and especially Regione Lombardia for making this event a success! If you missed it, we’ll be sharing more updates and insights in the coming week.

Switzerland Invests in Rail Upgrades to Enhance the Rhine-Alpine Corridor

Symbolic picture by Erwin van der Linden

Switzerland is taking a proactive approach to enhance rail freight transportation along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor by committing 60 to 80 million francs to upgrade the Metz-Strasbourg-Basel railway.

This investment aims to provide a viable alternative route on the left bank of the Rhine River, one of Europe’s busiest transportation axes. The primary objectives of this upgrade are:

• To boost the modal shift from road to rail transportation in the area
• To adapt the line’s profile to accommodate increased rail freight traffic

The Metz-Strasbourg-Basel railway upgrade is strategically significant for several reasons:

• It offers an alternative route along the Rhine, which is crucial for rail freight in Europe
• The line is part of the Rhine-Alpine corridor, connecting Genoa, Italy, to Rotterdam, Netherlands
• It supports Switzerland’s goal of shifting more Alpine transit traffic to railway

The initiative has gained traction at various levels of Swiss government, the Federal Council initially proposed the idea in June and the Federal Government is now backing the proposal and allocating funds.

While the Metz-Strasbourg-Basel line is the focus of this upgrade, it’s not the only railway on the Rhine’s left bank.The Wörth-Lauterbourg-Strasbourg railway has proven valuable during upgrades to the main line through Germany. However, this line is not electrified, and Switzerland is advocating for its electrification. By investing in these rail upgrades, Switzerland aims to enhance the efficiency and capacity of freight transportation along this critical European Corridor, supporting the broader goal of shifting more goods from road to rail.

Source: 

Railfreight.com