Shift of Freight Transport through the Alps Stagnates

23. March 2023

Last year, nearly the same number of trucks traveled through the Swiss Alps as in the previous year. The market share of rail remained stable at a high level. This is shown by the new semester report from the Federal Office of Transport (BAV).

(Bern) The completion of the New Railway Alpine Transversal (NEAT) and the corridor for transports with a height of four meters on the Gotthard axis in 2020 had provided a boost for the shift of freight transport across the Alps. Since then, the situation has largely stabilized. The number of truck trips decreased only slightly last year by 15,000 to 880,000. Since rail transport also declined slightly, its market share in freight transport through the Alps remained unchanged at 73.9 percent last year.

The stagnation in the shift is likely primarily due to the accentuated problems of rail in international north-south traffic. Last year, the main route through Germany was repeatedly interrupted or overloaded. Additionally, many rail companies had to raise their prices for services due to the rising costs of rail electricity and track usage.