Relocation target not achieved despite fewer transalpine transports
Published: Thursday, Mar 21st 2024, 15:10
Updated At: Thursday, Mar 21st 2024, 16:10
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Last year, fewer goods were transported through the Alps by truck and rail than in the previous year due to the more difficult economic situation. And although the number of truck journeys has decreased, the modal shift target has not been achieved.
The transport volume through the Alps shrank by 4.7 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, as the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) wrote on Thursday. A total of 37 million tons of goods were transported last year.
The decline in transport volume was 5.9% on the railways and 1.4% on the roads. Rail's share of total transalpine freight traffic through Switzerland fell from 73.9% to 72% last year.
More domestic traffic on the road
In addition to the difficult economic situation, the energy crisis and supply chain problems caused the decline in rail freight traffic, the FOT wrote. And construction work, particularly in Germany, numerous strikes in neighboring countries to the north and operational disruptions made the north-south rail axis unreliable.
According to the report, however, the damage in the Gotthard Base Tunnel had hardly any impact, as it was possible to avoid it via the Lötschberg and the Simplon. A freight train derailed in the base tunnel in August 2023. The tunnel's capacity has been limited ever since.
Road transport was less affected by the economic situation. According to the FOT, the proportion of domestic traffic was greater on the roads.
A total of 916,000 truck and articulated lorry journeys through the Alps were counted last year, 12,000 fewer than in the previous year. This means that the target of 650,000 journeys per year for 2018 was once again clearly missed. The decline was mainly recorded in the first half of the year.
Cleaner vehicles
According to the FOT report, measurements show that vehicles with lower emissions are increasingly being used on the north-south axis. Pollutant levels such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter have decreased, as surveys on the transit axes over the Gotthard and San Bernardino show.
Soot levels have also fallen. However, the decrease has slowed in recent years and is still well above the acceptable range from a health perspective, according to the report. Particulate matter pollution must also continue to fall.
Last November, the Federal Council presented an action package to promote the shift of freight traffic from road to rail. It intends to introduce a higher heavy vehicle charge from the beginning of 2025 and provide more support for shorter rail transports. And the rail electricity prices for freight transport will not be increased.
Funding for the Rolling Highway (Rola) will continue until 2028 as requested by Parliament. The Federal Council had only wanted the measure to run until 2026.
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