The modal share of rail freight in Switzerland fell by 0.5 per cent in the second half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. On the other hand, trucks crossing the Alps through the Helvetic Federation increased by 3.5 per cent. The main reason behind these trends was the closure of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, shut down for over a year between August 2023 and September 2024.

Due to the partial closure of the infrastructure, rail traffic via the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the first half of this year decreased by 7.2 per cent compared to the first half of 2023. The tunnel was fully reopened only a couple of weeks ago after being closed for 13 months due to a derailment last summer.

Another reason for this minor setback was the large amount of infrastructure works carried out in Switzerland’s neighbouring countries throughout the first half of this year. “The major construction work on the access routes in Italy and Germany will lead to a significant decline in rail transport from summer 2024”, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) stated.

Transalpine rail volumes showed minor growth

Some of the cross-alpine rail traffic was diverted via the Lötschberg-Simplon axis, which registered a growth of 23 per cent, as the FOT mentioned. “Overall, the volume of goods transported by rail through the Alps was slightly higher in the first half of 2024 than in the same period last year”, the FOT explained, claiming that these figures increased by 1.3 per cent.

Road transport across the Alps also posted positive numbers. “The additional traffic on the road flowed primarily via the Gotthard (+5.2 percent) and the Great St. Bernard (+18.7 percent)”, the FOT added. Road traffic across the San Berdardino and Simplon axis, however, decreased, although the FOT did not specify by how much.