From Road to Rail
We are very pleased to support Coop on its path toward sustainable urban logistics. Shifting truck journeys to rail impressively demonstrates how rail can help reduce CO₂ emissions and traffic congestion as an efficient and environmentally friendly solution. With our modern intermodal railcars, we offer a key element for realizing such innovative concepts. We are proud to be part of writing this success story.
Coop now supplies Zurich by freight train, reducing 58,000 truck journeys annually
To supply stores more ecologically and efficiently, the Swiss supermarket chain has officially opened a new railway hub in the heart of Switzerland’s largest city. As a result, Coop is consistently shifting freight transport from road to rail, reducing CO₂e emissions* and easing traffic congestion.
– Over 70 retail outlets in the city of Zurich will now be supplied by rail through this innovative project.
– Goods are loaded onto trains at the Schafisheim distribution center and transported by rail to Zurich.
– Compared to road transport, this enables an 80% reduction in CO₂e emissions.
*CO₂e reduction refers to the targeted decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, measured as CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e), to combat climate change. CO₂e sums up the climate impact of different greenhouse gases (such as CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide) so that emissions can be compared and reduced. The goal is to lower the amount of greenhouse gases converted to CO₂e to limit global warming and achieve climate neutrality. This is implemented through sustainable technologies, efficient actions, and strategies in businesses, industry, and society. Companies, for example, aim to reduce CO₂e emissions along the entire value chain to achieve net-zero emissions.
More about Coop: https://www.coop.ch/de/unternehmen/ueber-uns.html
More about the project: https://www.coop.ch/de/unternehmen/medien/medienmitteilungen/2025/coop-beliefert-zuerich-neu-per-gueterzug-und-reduziert-jaehrlich-58000-lastwagenfahrten.html
More about the loading proces:
Coop demonstrates loading a container from rail onto a truck.
© 20min/Dominic Forstenhauser
Philipp Wyss, CEO of Coop, and Philipp Wegmüller, Head of Coop’s own rail company Railcare, open the railway hub in Zurich (© Coop)
The containers with Coop products are laterally transferred from the truck onto the rail wagon at the railway hub (Images 2-4).
The six-axle 104’ intermodal railcar is designed to transport up to four swap bodies or containers of any kind, with a total payload of 105.6 tons. The railcar is equipped with an SWS loading bridge on the bogie, allowing efficient transfer.
