Freight traffic to remain on the rails despite many roadworks
Published: Friday, Feb 23rd 2024, 16:20
Updated At: Friday, Feb 23rd 2024, 16:20
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The timetable for freight trains in Switzerland is to be made more flexible in future. This was agreed by representatives of the federal government, SBB, BLS and the transport industry at a round table.
The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) hosted the meeting, as announced on Friday. The background to this is that there are currently numerous construction sites on the freight transport corridor from the north to the south of Europe and will continue to be in the coming years - including in Switzerland.
The development of the 2024 timetable for freight trains was associated with considerable difficulties, wrote the FOT. Despite the challenges, rail freight transport should remain competitive with road transport, also in line with Switzerland's modal shift policy.
Railcom, the Commission for Rail Traffic, and the Swiss Train Path Allocation Office were also represented at the round table. One of the resolutions was that in future it should be increasingly possible to route freight trains through Switzerland on free train paths at short notice.
Coordination with foreign agencies also remains a priority, the Federal Office added. Another round table is expected to be held in the fall.
Passenger trains not disadvantaged
Passenger traffic should not be disadvantaged by the measures, the FOT emphasized in response to a corresponding query from the Keystone-SDA news agency. The division of capacity between freight and passenger transport will not be called into question.
According to the FOT, the initial situation is different for passenger transport than for freight transport. It is true that construction work could also pose challenges here. However, passenger trains tend to run nationally and regionally, and passenger transport is easier to plan.
The Federal Office also pointed out that certain line closures, such as those in connection with work at the Chiasso marshalling yard, only affected freight traffic.
©Keystone/SDA
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