Rhine-Alpine News
02.07.2025
Swiss round table for rail safety
Symbolic picture by Hpgruesen on Pixabay
On June 26, 2025, representatives of Swiss rail freight transport gathered in Bern for a roundtable discussion on safety-related topics.
The conversation centred on potential actions and ways to increase the safety of rail freight transport. Through a variety of measures, railroads, the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), and other stakeholders ensure that rail freight transport is extremely safe.
Every year, the FOT inspects about 7,000 goods waggons and works with foreign authorities to coordinate safety monitoring. However, the Gotthard Base Tunnel accident and the cross-border nature of rail freight transport present safety challenges. In its report on postulate 25.3177, “Increasing safety in rail freight transport,” the Federal Council plans to discuss these issues and pinpoint areas that require attention.
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) has recommended stronger standards for the upkeep and repair of freight waggons with composite brake pads, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in guaranteeing rail freight transport safety. Stricter technical regulations or more checks are examples of short-term solutions.
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Provisional agreement to modernise EU waterway traffic management
Symbolic picture by Dimitrisvetsikas1969 on Pixabay
The European Commission has welcomed a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council to modernise traffic management on the EU’s rivers and canals.
This initiative aims to improve navigation efficiency and reliability across Europe’s rivers, such as the Danube and the Rhine. Modern river information services (RIS) will facilitate communication between barge operators and skippers, improving voyage planning and execution.
The new measure updates the 2005 Directive on river information services (RIS), which currently operates on around 13,000 km of interconnected waterways across 13 EU Member States. The revised framework ensures harmonised technical standards and accessible data, meeting long-standing expectations from the inland waterway sector. The new Regulation will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
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Study quantifying the impact of AI-powered electrification planning released
Symbolic picture by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash
The findings of a study carried out in partnership with Fraunhofer ISI have been made public by Einride, a technology company that provides digital, electric, and autonomous solutions for road freight.
According to the study, the secret to making electric transportation scalable and affordable is to re-optimize fleet-level transportation planning. The study examined more than 200 vehicles and more than 38,000 shipments for the well-known grocery store REWE, which serves more than 500 locations within 230 kilometres of two Berlin distribution centres.
Einride’s Planning AI engine, rethinks freight planning and execution. It creates highly coordinated schedules for all system assets by combining energy constraints, vehicle characteristics, and actual shipment data. By considering the entire fleet, this technology improves charging efficiency, increases asset utilisation, and makes it possible for scalable, economical electric operations that surpass industry standards.
Deeper electrification, reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), more efficient charging investments, and resilience in unpredictable economic conditions are some of the main conclusions drawn from AI-powered planning.
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