Source: https://railmarket.com/news/freight-rail/42408-swiss-coop-opens-zurich-rail
Swiss Coop opens Zurich rail hub
Author: Karel Novak
11.11.2025 | The new arrangement is intended to reduce the number of truck journeys into Zurich by approximately 58,000 annually.
Coop has launched a new urban rail logistics hub in Zurich’s Hardfeld district. The facility will supply over 70 stores in the city by rail, with goods transported from the company’s distribution centre in Schafisheim.
The concept is based on combining long-distance rail haulage with short-haul road distribution. Final deliveries within the city will continue by truck, with plans to use newer, lower-emission vehicles for last-mile operations.
Coop operates its own rail logistics company, railCare, which already manages a large share of its national supply chain by rail. It operates of seven own Siemens Vectron locomotives and a powerful Stadler Euro9000 locomotive leased from ELP.
Wagons provided for the transport include those rented from MFD Rail. As the company states:
" We are very pleased to support Coop on its path toward sustainable urban logistics. The shift of truck transports to rail impressively demonstrates how rail serves as an efficient and environmentally friendly solution to reduce CO₂ emissions and traffic congestion. With our modern intermodal wagons, we provide an essential element for turning such innovative concepts into reality. We are proud to contribute to this success story. "
ccording to Coop, the new hub will support its existing intermodal structure, which includes return flows of empty containers and recyclable waste from stores back to the distribution centre.
The shift to rail is expected to reduce emissions by 80 percent compared to road-only deliveries, while also easing road traffic. The company states that the time savings from reduced congestion on key routes could reach 8,100 hours annually between Schafisheim and central Zurich.
The Zurich hub is part of Coop’s broader objective to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.