The railway between Novara and Domodossola, connecting Italy to Switzerland, will be closed between 9 and 30 August for infrastructure upgrades. This is a key line for rail freight along the Rhine-Alpine axis, and it will be closed concurrently with more vital arteries of this corridor in Italy and Germany.
Concerning Italy, the Novara-Domodossola is not the only line along the Rhine-Alpine corridor affected by summer closures. The Domodossola-Milan railway, which runs roughly next to the Novara-Domodossola, has been closed since 9 June and will be until 9 September. All these closures in Italy are creating significant headaches for the country’s rail freight sector. More specifically, throughout 2024, 60 per cent of the Italian rail lines will be subject to partial or total closure.
With the closure of these two lines going to Domodossola, Italy is running the risk of remaining temporarily isolated from the rest of the continent in terms of rail connectivity. The main border crossing with France, via the Frejus Railway, has been closed since August 2023 and will be until early 2025. Moreover, the other main connection between Italy and Switzerland, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, has also been (partially) closed since August 2023 and should reopen at the beginning of September.
Closures all along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor
When it comes to the Rhine-Alpine section in Germany, the Rhine Valley line between Rastatt and Baden-Baden will also be closed between 9 and 30 August, just like the Novara-Domodossola line in Italy. Some industry players from France, Germany and Switzerland, led by Hupac, will establish a new route via the Offenburg-Wörth section to keep trains running. However, it is not yet clear if similar initiatives will be undertaken to find alternatives to the Novara-Domodossola line in Italy.