It's only really sensible for long distance transportation.
I'm making assumptions here. But lets' say loading the trucks and the wait until the train leaves takes 90 minutes. Unloading them at destination takes another 30 minutes (again, I don't know the real figures, but this feels somewhat realistic).
So, there will be a certain not insignificant amount of time being lost before the train moves. Time, which is valuable in the transportation business.
Another reason may be that it's really geared for specific topological environments.
There are few routes through the alps and they universally require tunnels (there are mountain pass routes, but those are closed in winter and partially inaccessible for trucks). Such a situation invites such logistical solutions.
Add to this that Switzerland is one of the main transit countries through the alps and that - with very few exceptions - trucks are not permitted to drive at night (after 10pm) or on Sundays. So, loading your truck onto a train and blitz from Freiburg (Germany) straight to Genoa by train may make a lot of sense.
The situation is not quite as ideal as described here. While it's definitely a goal to move transit onto train infrastructure, especially on the Italian side, still leaves much to be desired.
I'm making assumptions here. But lets' say loading the trucks and the wait until the train leaves takes 90 minutes. Unloading them at destination takes another 30 minutes (again, I don't know the real figures, but this feels somewhat realistic).
So, there will be a certain not insignificant amount of time being lost before the train moves. Time, which is valuable in the transportation business.
Another reason may be that it's really geared for specific topological environments.
There are few routes through the alps and they universally require tunnels (there are mountain pass routes, but those are closed in winter and partially inaccessible for trucks). Such a situation invites such logistical solutions.
Add to this that Switzerland is one of the main transit countries through the alps and that - with very few exceptions - trucks are not permitted to drive at night (after 10pm) or on Sundays. So, loading your truck onto a train and blitz from Freiburg (Germany) straight to Genoa by train may make a lot of sense.
The situation is not quite as ideal as described here. While it's definitely a goal to move transit onto train infrastructure, especially on the Italian side, still leaves much to be desired.