The Alpine Rolling Highway (AFA) service, transporting semi-trailers on rail along the recently reopened Frejus Railway has been discontinued. The initiative, connecting Orbassano in Italy with Aiton in France, was also aimed at dangerous goods, which will now go back to the road.
The service was halted in August 2023 after a massive landslide closed the main line between France and Italy for over a year and a half. Due to the traffic interruption, the flow of public subsidies stopped as well, which put the project in serious jeopardy. The company in charge of the service, AFA, informed its customers and suppliers that it would halt operations on 21 April with no prospect of recovery.
Rumours about a possible discontinuation of this rolling highway already surfaced a month ago, when AFA CEO underlined the impossibility of restarting it without concrete financial help. AFA is co-owned by Italian Mercitalia and French SNCF. Representatives from the Italian government are now saying that the two countries are looking for a funding mechanism. However, such an initiative would need European approval, which means longer times during which the vehicles will be travelling on the road.