Relocation of transalpine freight traffic comes to a standstill
Keystone-SDA
The shift of transalpine freight traffic from road to rail in Switzerland has stalled in the last two years.
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The access routes are slowing down. The Federal Council is therefore lobbying neighbouring countries for rapid modernisation.
The modal shift target of 650,000 lorry journeys set out in the Alpine Initiative adopted in 1994 was also exceeded in 2024. Instead, 960,000 lorries travelled through the Alps, the gaoverment said.
Five years after the Gotthard, Lötschberg and Ceneri base tunnels were fully commissioned, the potential of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) has not been exhausted. The rail share of freight transport through the Alps was 70.4% at the end of 2024, 2.6% lower than in 2022.
The current stumbling block is the northern access route. In addition, the discontinuation of the Rolling Highway could lead to a shift back to the road. The Federal Council wants to counter this with financial incentives for combined transport.
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What’s it like to be stuck in peak holiday traffic trying to cross the Alps
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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