Hupac is one of the leading providers of intermodal rail transport through the Swiss Alps. The Busto Arsizio/Gallarate terminal is one of Europe's most advanced intermodal freight terminals, specialising in the transfer of freight between road and rail transport. Covering an area of 250,000 m², the facility has an operational capacity of 30 pairs of Shuttle Net trains per day, corresponding to approximately 1,500 road shipments daily.

Country

Italy

Client / Owner

HUPAC Intermodal

Timeframe

2008

Terminal type

Inland container terminal (rail/road)

Problems and study goals

The primary objective of the simulation study was to determine the maximum rail capacity of the terminal under different infrastructure configurations, including the expansion of selected terminal sectors.

The capacity of the railway line connecting the terminal through Gallarate station was considered as an external constraint.

Study results

The simulation study focused exclusively on rail operations within the terminal. To ensure realistic results, the simulation model incorporated the necessary assumptions and operating rules to represent the interaction with road traffic. A detailed operational model was developed using the Villon simulation tool, including 3D visualisation of terminal processes.
A series of simulation experiments was conducted to evaluate various operational strategies and infrastructure configurations. The results provided a clear understanding of the terminal's capacity limits under different conditions and demonstrated that the required throughput could only be achieved through targeted infrastructure upgrades in selected terminal sectors.