Swiss supermarket chain Coop has inaugurated a new rail freight terminal in Zurich. “Over 70 stores in the city will now be supplied by rail thanks to this innovative project”, the company said.
Goods will travel on freight trains between the distribution centre in Schafisheim to Zurich, removing 58,000 trucks from the city roads every year. For the return journeys, trains will be loaded with empty containers and waste, such as PET bottles returned to supermarkets, Coop specified.
Coop’s railCare
Coop can count on its own rail freight operator, railCare. The company became part of the Coop group in 2010. With 19 locomotives, over 1,000 swap bodies and more than 500 employees, railCare supplies Coop supermarkets across Switzerland but also provides services to third parties. “With the new rail hub, we are demonstrating that sustainable transport solutions are not just a vision, but a lived reality at Coop”, said the group’s CEO Philipp Wyss.
