SWISS intermodal group Hupac has launched a thrice-weekly rail service between Antwerpen and Perpignan, in partnership with Fret SNCF. Linking the port with the Novatrans terminal at Perpignan, the 1 200?km route is intended to be extended into Spain at a later date.Although Fret SNCF already operates into Belgium, its CEO Oliver Marembaud says this is the first service where the company provides end-to-end transport services to and from Belgium. Each train is formed of two locos and 20 wagons. Consignments loaded at Antwerpen by 17.00 are available for collection from 07.30 two days later.On May 7 Austrian operator ?kombi announced the launch of a daily rolling motorway service between Regensburg in Germany and Trento in Italy, covering the 460?km in around 9?h. The first ?kombi service with both terminals otuside Austria, it brings the number of RoLa trains over the Brenner route to 40 per day. Managing Director Gustav Poschalko says the company’s services are now handling around 700 lorries a day, and he hopes to reach 1 000 shortly, giving rail a 20% market share.H French Transport Minister Dominique Perben and his Italian counterpart Alessandro Bianchi agreed at the end of April to continue the trans-Alpine Modalohr service between Aiton and Orbassano until the end of 2008, pending the completion of gauge-enhancement work on the route. Tenders are to be called shortly for the operation of an enhanced service of 20 trains each way per day.n

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