Freight transport: rail increases

71 percent of transalpine freight traffic was transported by rail in Switzerland in the first half of 2016.

This is the highest figure since 2001, when new framework conditions were introduced with the introduction of the Distance-related Heavy Vehicle Fee (HVF) and the gradual increase in the weight limit to 40 tons. In the first half of 2016, fewer than 500,000 trucks crossed the Swiss Alps for the first time.

The federal government's measures and instruments to shift transalpine freight traffic from road to rail are having an effect : thanks to the HVF, modernization of rail and terminal infrastructure, more competition and financial support, rail freight traffic was again able to increase its market share in freight traffic through the Alps in the first half of 2016. This is shown in the report on the development of transalpine freight transport in the first half of 2016, which the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) published today.

Road transport declining

A total of 20.8 million tons of goods passed through the Swiss Alps by road and rail in the first half of the year. Rail transported almost 14.8 million tons via the Gotthard and Lötschberg-Simplon axes, 7.7 percent more than in the same period last year. Both wagonload and unaccompanied combined transport increased. The volume of goods transported by road decreased by 2.1 percent. As a result, rail's market share of the transport volume through the Alps increased to 71 percent. This is the highest value since new framework conditions were created in 2001 with the LSVA and the gradual admission of 40-ton trucks for transalpine freight transport.

From January to June 2016, 496,000 trucks, road trains and semitrailers crossed the Swiss Alpine crossings. At 3.8 percent, the number of journeys fell slightly more sharply than the transport volume (- 2.1 percent).