Swiss Federal Council Clarifies Direction of Rail Freight Transport

The Swiss Federal Council held a discussion on December 17, 2021, regarding the future direction of rail freight transport in the region (domestic, import, and export traffic). It has tasked the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (UVEK) to prepare a consultation draft by mid-2022 after further clarifications.

(Bern) A central question is how rail freight transport in the region can contribute to the Federal Council’s climate goals. Until a final decision is made, SBB Cargo should refrain from further reducing the service network as much as possible to avoid preempting decisions.

Unlike freight transport through the Alps, there is no relocation target for freight transport in the region. According to the law, it must generally be conducted on a self-financing basis. This is particularly challenging for SBB Cargo’s single wagon load transport, as it requires the complex assembly of transports from individual wagons with different goods.

From the Federal Council’s perspective, it must be clarified how rail freight transport in the region should be oriented in the future, especially in connection with Switzerland’s climate policy goals. During its discussion, it acknowledged four directions for further development. These range from a package of measures with financial incentives and investments for the modernization of single wagon load transport to an order of corresponding offers with compensation for uncovered costs, and even to the renunciation of additional support measures. The UVEK will deepen and evaluate possible variants by the end of March and, based on this, prepare a consultation draft by mid-2022.

SBB Cargo to Refrain from Service Reductions Until the End of 2023

The Federal Council has simultaneously tasked the UVEK and the Federal Finance Administration to agree on transitional solutions with SBB and SBB Cargo, so that SBB Cargo refrains from service reductions until the end of 2023. The Federal Council aims to prevent the choice of variants from being prejudiced by business decisions while ensuring that SBB Cargo does not incur permanent losses in single wagon load transport.

The preparation of a consultation draft will take into account Motion Dittli “Rail Freight Transport and Contribution to Reducing CO2 Emissions” (20.3222) and various other parliamentary initiatives.

Photo: © SBB Cargo