AFRY awarded assignment for first phase of the Cargo sous terrain's digital complete logistic system in Switzerland

AFRY has been awarded the PGV engineering contract for the first phase of the 70 km tunnel route between Härkingen and Zurich in Switzerland. The project planning phase now begins, and Cargo sous terrain (CST) is taking a big step towards its realisation.

With the "Federal Law on Underground Freight Transport" coming into force on 1 August 2022, the legal basis for the planning and realisation of CST is in place. Therefore, the focus is now on the formal planning procedure for the first phase in the lead up to approval by the Federal Office of Transport. Along the 70 km tunnel route between Härkingen and Zurich, 11 logistics hubs are planned at which the transfer of cargo between conventional modes of transport and the underground transport system will take place.

AFRY is awarded the "PGV Engineering" contract
AFRY is the lead partner of the planning consortium CST Infra, which was commissioned with the planning of the structural infrastructure and the technical equipment of the structures. The mandate also includes the areas of environment, material management and landfills. The objective is to prepare an authorisable project, which is to be submitted to the federal government for planning approval at the end of 2024.

Marcel Winter, Country Manager Switzerland:

The collaborative development of this globally unique project together with the future operator and the planners of the logistics and control systems is a special challenge. For this task, AFRY is a valuable partner with its multidisciplinary teams and broad-based expertise in tunnelling, environment, transport & engineering, energy and digitalisation. We are working together to create an intelligent total logistics system that relieves rail and road congestion and reduces environmental impact, providing a sustainable solution to the estimated 37% increase in freight traffic by 2040.

Partnering from the very beginning to create a sustainable solution
AFRY is committed to building a sustainable logistics solution for Switzerland. In the pioneering phase, AFRY supported the innovative large-scale project under the name Cargo Tube and carried out the first preliminary studies regarding feasibility. The goal is to construct a system over 400 km long which connects the economic centres of Switzerland and contributes significantly to relieving the burden on transport routes and the environment. A comprehensive feasibility study was completed in 2015 and confirmed the technical and economic feasibility of the project. AFRY was a member of the Board of Directors of Cargo sous terrain AG from December 2018 to August 2022. At the General Assembly on 31 August 2022 in Basel, the company structure was adapted to create the conditions for the realisation of this exclusively privately financed project.

For further information please contact:

Anna Magni, Head of Communication, Infrastructure at AFRY
+46 708 97 29 00, anna.magni@afry.com

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