This sprawling project aims to dig galleries more than 20 meters underground, before deploying a myriad of autonomous shuttles responsible for transporting pallets of goods. These wheeled vehicles are expected to travel at a speed of 30 km/h in three-lane tunnels, using an electric drive with induction rail. Objective of the system: to relieve trucks traveling on Swiss roads to cover the last kilometers, when getting off freight trains.
To do this, the galleries would serve surface distribution centers – ten for the first section between Härkingen and Zurich – equipped with elevators to bring the products up from the galleries. Cargo sous terrain, the promoter of the project with the eponymous name, also unveiled, in 2023, a first prototype of a freight elevator co-developed with the remote monitoring specialist Gritec, based in Belgium.
Efficiency questioned
Until this summer, everything was going well for this crazy project. A few months after its creation, the limited company had achieved a financial round of more than 100 million Swiss francs (106 million euros). Among the dozen investors were the bank Crédit Suisse and Migros and Coop, the two largest Swiss retail groups. Then the Swiss Parliament largely voted for a law authorizing the deployment of the project. Next step: consult the cantons and municipalities crossed by the first section of the project. These discussions aim to validate with the localities the location of the distribution centers or the environmental impact of the project.
Unfortunately, this third major stage, launched in February 2024, revealed several flaws in the project. In mid-May, the municipality of Zurich questioned its impact, estimating the reduction in land transport of goods at only 3% in the city. The municipality also “refuses” the establishment of one of the three planned hubs in its center, arguing that it risks increasing traffic in a pedestrian and cycling zone.
“In addition, underground installations must be compatible with the protection interests related to the subsurface, for example, the impact on groundwater. The planning of such a transport system therefore imposes very high demands.reports Manuel Fuchs, spokesperson for the canton of Zurich.
After the dismissal of some of its employees and the entry into office of a new CEO at the end of September, the Swiss project is now getting a facelift before offering localities a second version of its transport system. If the objective of reaching Härkingen from Zurich is not ruled out, the timetable and location of several hubs, as well as the technical specifications of the project, are being reviewed again.
Shareholder reluctance
This first pitfall also cooled some investors. The mass distribution group Migros, the main shareholder, announced that it would not provide any additional financing to the transport company, according to information from the Swiss weekly The morning at the beginning of summer. “It’s a very visionary project. For the moment, we are only positioning ourselves as observers and we will see if we continue the financing in 2025”cautiously advances a spokesperson for Swiss Post, another shareholder in the project. The company cannot count on financial support from the Swiss state either: during the vote on the law governing the project in 2020, the Swiss Parliament set in stone that no public funds would be paid into the company. .
The cantons and municipalities interviewed nevertheless still support the project. “Every day of the week, around half a million tonnes of goods are transported on the roads and rails of the township. According to forecasts, the population of the canton of Zurich will continue to increase, which will lead to further growth in freight traffic.points out Manuel Fuchs, spokesperson for the canton of Zurich. It’s up to CST to convince during the draft.
