AFA Autostrada Ferroviaria Alpina (Alpine Rail-Highway) is a company controlled by Trenitalia and by SNCF-Participations. It aims at marketing the rail-highway (both accompanied and unaccompanied) from Turin-Orbassano terminal to Bourgneuf-Aiton in France and back.
It is composed by 4 couples of daily trains and, on an experimental basis, mainly aims at restoring the balance between motorway and railway on the Val di Susa route. This international route is essential for the commercial transport through an area which is very sensitive to environment. The trains, which also include a wagon for the drivers, carry both trucks with trailers and unaccompanied trailers.
With this train service, the 175 km distance between the two terminals is covered in less then 3 hours. The loading and unloading operations, managed by Omniaexpress Division of Ferrovie dello Stato FS Logistica (Italian Railways) in Orbassano Terminal, are easier that ever thanks to the Modalhor wagons which allow the loading and unloading of 28 wagons at the same time.