The Swiss Federal Council will invest 180 million francs (around 192 million euros) for the deployment of the Digital Automatic Couplng (DAC). The Swiss Ministry of Transport, Albert Rösti, announced the investment during a speech at the General Assembly of the country’s Shippers Association VAP.
“The subsidies are for services, not for companies”, Rösti underlined in his speech. Switzerland remains one of the countries in Europe at the forefront of DAC development, leading the way with Austria and Germany. For example, state-owned rail freight operator SBB Cargo has been leading various initiatives aiming at testing DAC throughout the Helvetic Federation.
The DAC situation in Europe remains somewhat fragmented despite the efforts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. According to various industry players, Italy seems to be next in line, a trend also reflected in the recent decision to start DAC tests in the country. On the other hand, countries such as Czechia and Poland have shown some skepticism, mostly concerning tests and implementation costs.