In 2023, Hupac Group faced challenges as it navigated the transport landscape, moving approximately 975,000 road consignments in combined road/rail transport. The sector experienced a decline, attributed to a drop in transport demand across Europe, non-market-aligned rail system price increases, and significant quality deficits in the German rail network.
Last year, Hupac Group’s transport volume amounted to around 975,000 road consignments or 1,866,000 TEU, reflecting a decrease of 11.7% compared to the previous year. Various segments of Hupac’s Europe-wide network were impacted, with the core market of transalpine transport through Switzerland experiencing a comparatively moderate 7.6% decline to 540,000 road consignments. The challenging circumstances were driven by a broader economic downturn linked to the Ukraine crisis and the energy crisis that unfolded in 2022, affecting the global economy throughout 2023. The rail system further grappled with issues such as poor network quality, especially in Germany, capacity bottlenecks, delays, cancellations, and a significant reduction in capacity due to the Gotthard base tunnel closure until September 2024. Rising rail system costs also posed challenges, underscoring the need for continued support for transalpine combined transport in the face of these obstacles.