In Switzerland, an ambitious proposal could see the construction of an expansive underground network through which self-driving pods would transport freight across the country.

The project, called Cargo Sous Terrain (“Underground Cargo” in English), is intended to reduce the reliance on trucks for moving cargo. Global demand for freight transportation is growing, just as much of the world is seeing a shortage of truck drivers. At the same time, high fuel prices have made road transportation more expensive, while transporting freight by road accounts for around 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Cargo Sous Terrain (CST) claims the project will reduce heavy traffic from Swiss roads by up to 40%, and because it will use only renewable energy, it will emit 80% less carbon dioxide per ton of cargo than transporting freight by road today.

“From the very beginning of CST, it was clear that the aim was really a zero-emission system, because sustainability is an absolute necessity,” said Patrik Aellig, head of communications for CST.

If built, the network, would stretch roughly 500 kilometers from Geneva in the west of Switzerland to St. Gallen in the northeast, and be completed around 2045.

The organization behind the initiative says it has raised 100 million Swiss Francs (US$114 million) to move ahead with the planning process for the first 70-kilometer section, which it hopes will be in operation by 2032, connecting Härkingen-Niederbipp with Zurich.

The network of tunnels will be 40 to 80 meters below ground and the autonomous pods will drive along three lanes at around 30 kilometers per hour. Each pod will have space for two pallets, and can be refrigerated to transport chilled goods. The cargo will be loaded and unloaded at designated hubs, using lifts to take it to and from the surface.

The project was first conceived around 2010, but the Swiss government only gave it the go-ahead in 2021, and it still needs planning approval from the regions that it would pass through.

Although there’s a long way to go before construction can begin, earlier this year CST began its first work in the field — exploratory drilling along the Härkingen-Niederbipp route.

Aellig added that even factoring in the emissions related to the construction of the network, and the fact that in the future more trucks will be electric, in the long-term CST will still produce fewer emissions than road transport.

Securing planning permission will be a complex and lengthy process because the network runs through several cantons (administrative regions), said Aellig, but he’s confident the project will eventually be approved along the whole route.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【设想】shèxiǎng conceive form a conception, imagine

【自动的】zìdòng de autonomous undertaken or carried on without outside control

瑞士计划建造一个庞大的地下网络，这项雄心勃勃的系统将运用自动驾驶吊舱在全国范围内运输货物。

该项目名为 “地下货运”（CST），旨在减少货运对卡车的依赖。全球对货运的需求不断增长，而世界上大部分地区却出现了卡车司机短缺的情况。与此同时，高昂的燃油价格使公路运输变得更加昂贵，而公路货运排放的二氧化碳约占全球排放量的6%。

CST称，该项目将使瑞士公路上的繁忙交通减少40%，而且由于只使用可再生能源，运输每吨货物的二氧化碳排放量将比目前的公路货运减少80%。

CST公关部主管帕特里克•艾利格说：“CST 成立之初我们就清楚地认识到，我们的目标是真正实现零排放，因为可持续发展绝对有必要。

该网络建成后将从瑞士西部的日内瓦延伸至东北部的圣加仑，全长约500公里，预计2045 年左右完工。

支持该项目的机构表示，已筹集到 1 亿瑞士法郎（约合 1.14 亿美元）的资金，用于推进首段70公里隧道的规划设计工作，希望2032年能投入使用，将哈金根－尼德比普与苏黎世连接起来。

隧道网络将位于地下40至80米处，自动驾驶吊舱将以每小时约30公里的速度沿三条车道行驶。每个吊舱可容纳两个货运托盘，可运输冷藏货物。货物将在指定的枢纽装卸，使用升降机将货物从地面运进运出。

该项目于2010年左右开始构思，但瑞士政府直到 2021 年才批准实施，而且还需要获得途经地区的规划批准。虽然距开工还有很长的路要走，但今年早些时候，CST已经开始了第一项工作 —— 在哈金根－尼德比普沿线进行勘探钻井。

艾利格补充说，即使考虑到与建设相关的排放因素，以及未来将有更多电动卡车这一事实，从长远来看，CST的排放量仍将低于公路运输。

艾利格表示，由于该网络穿过多个州，因此获得规划许可将是一个复杂而漫长的过程，但他相信整个项目最终会被批准。(SD-Agencies)