Hannibal, Contship Italia Group's multimodal transport operator, has launched a second rail link to Switzerland on July 2, 2018. The new daily connection to Zurich (Niederglatt) complements the existing link to Basel (Frenkendorf), which is also served daily.
With the additional link to Zurich (Niederglatt), Contship Italia doubles its services covering the growing Swiss market. The new link between Contship’s Rail Hub Milano (RHM) in Melzo and Niederglatt features a three-day transit time (A-C with a morning arrival) from main Italian gateways and an A-B transit time to/from intermodal hubs in Melzo and Padova. By expanding its service offering dedicated to continental volumes between Italy and Switzerland, Contship continues to transform the Southern Gateway into a competitive and reliable option for cargo owners, freight forwarders and shipping lines. Hannibal's first link to Basel started in 2013 and due increased demand has recorded year-on-year growth since then.
Southern Gateways have been steadily increasing their market share since 2013. Shipping lines offer competitive transit-times to La Spezia and other Southern Gateway ports served by Hannibal, saving shippers both time and inventory cost. With its new connection to Zurich, Contship Italia underlines its goal to offer solutions that go “hand in hand” with market demand.
Furthermore, the Group contributes to more resilient and value-added supply chain solutions, allowing the customers to benefit from improved risk management for their import and export cargo. Daniele Testi, Contship Italia's Marketing & Corporate Communication Director, explains: "It is crucial for shippers to have a choice between different transport options in case of need, as demonstrated by the rail line closure near Rastatt last year. Being in control of the supply chain ensures that customers can select the transport mode that fits the respective cargo best, which does not only improve risk management but also saves costs."