Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) returned to profitability in the 2023 financial year for the first time since 2019. However, the pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency remains high. Passenger services transported 1.32 million people daily. In contrast, SBB Cargo's transport performance decreased by 7.5 percent. 

Th. Saas

Hamburg is working with the port authority HHLA and the German air traffic control service on a standard model for a "U-Space airspace" over the Hanseatic city, in which all air traffic data will be interconnected. The Ministry of Transport is supporting the €4 million project with 70 percent of the costs. 

 So far... Image: MileMover

Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler has won a tender for 16 battery-electric multiple units for the Chicago Metro's Rock Island line. This success follows its hydrogen-powered multiple units for Caltrans (California) and several vehicles with alternative propulsion solutions already delivered to the USA.

Gebrüder Weiss reported sales of €2.47 billion for 2023 (2022: €3 billion). Geopolitical conflicts and the global economic slowdown had a negative impact. Nevertheless, €187 million was invested in expanding its facilities and services. Many projects were initially postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Freighter unloading. Photo: MSC

Information regarding the MSC Sky II, which was shelled by Houthi rebels in recent days, is scarce from the headquarters of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in Geneva. According to consistent reports, the fire on board was quickly extinguished. The container ship continued its voyage to Djibouti, where the damage will be assessed again. 

Photo: HHLA

The figures will not be officially published until March 21st. But they have already caused some consternation. Hamburg's mayor, Tschentscher, once again promoted the "MSC deal" in the city parliament on Wednesday, while the revenue of the port company HHLA has fallen to €1.447 billion. 

Kiwi is the name of both the flightless bird and the fruit, which is now sought after worldwide for its high vitamin content. New Zealand calls its national railway " KiwiRail " and is now receiving nine more ETCS-equipped mainline locomotives and 24 diesel-hybrid shunting locomotives from Switzerland.

Tower in Zurich

According to the Swiss air navigation service provider Skyguide, air traffic has recovered more slowly after the coronavirus pandemic than expected. Commissioned by the Swiss Air Force, Skyguide successfully provided security for the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the UN Refugee Summit in Geneva, and also handled three IT incidents. 

HHLA Sky, the subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik-Gesellschaft (HHLA), announces the launch of Germany's first fully automated drone delivery service at the Koerschulte Group in Lüdenscheid, using the drone control center integrated at the port company.

 © Zeiss

A visit by German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Zeiss in Jena provided a glimpse behind the scenes of new optical – including holographic – forms of representation, which could be useful in the future for monitoring overall logistics systems.

Stadler's Euro9000 locomotive is an impressive behemoth, first unveiled at InnoTrans in 2019. Rail vehicle leasing company Alpha Trains has now signed a full-service contract with the manufacturer. With its 9 MW output, Stadler claims it is the " most powerful locomotive in Europe .
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The project team

In the future, when one of these trucks is described as being "full steam ahead", it will refer to a hydrogen-powered truck used for DHL in distribution and scheduled transport, emitting only small puffs of steam from the exhaust pipe instead of exhaust fumes. 

Photo: THD

More than 1,300 km of railway lines could be reactivated in Germany, according to a study of 115 project proposals. However, only 8 km of track were reactivated in 2022, and not a single line in 2023. The "Alliance for Rail" is calling for greater inclusion of freight transport. The model: Switzerland.

According to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the restoration of regular operations in the Gotthard Base Tunnel is currently proceeding according to plan. In addition to track repairs, the two high-speed switches at the Faido multifunctional station have been replaced. SBB anticipates resuming normal operations in September 2024.

 CvDungern

Cecil von Dungern will succeed current CEO Andreas Erbe, who, according to the company, will leave Wagner Fire Safety Consulting GmbH at the end of March for personal reasons. Von Dungern's successor already joined the management team at the beginning of January.