Federal Council wants to promote freight transport by rail more strongly
Published: Wednesday, Jan 10th 2024, 14:40
Back to Live Feed
Goods should increasingly be transported by rail instead of by road. To achieve this, the Federal Council is proposing a comprehensive reform package worth several hundred million francs. The Rhine ports are also to be strengthened.
On Wednesday, the federal government adopted the dispatch on the total revision of the Freight Transport Act for the attention of parliament. The aim is to reduce the number of lorry journeys and drive forward the digitalization of rail freight transport. Overall, it is about "better framework conditions for future-proof freight transport", wrote the Federal Council.
The federal government already supports investments in freight transport facilities and technical innovations. However, in contrast to transalpine transport, there has been no provision for financial support for rail freight services in the area to date. This is now set to change.
In principle, freight transport services by rail and water should continue to be self-supporting by law. In future, however, the federal government should be able to make flat-rate contributions for the loading of goods onto rail and the transhipment of goods between rail and other modes of transport.
Broad support
During a transitional period, for example, the single wagonload traffic currently operated by SBB Cargo is to receive financial support. This accounts for a significant proportion of rail freight transportation. Individual wagons or groups of wagons are collected, formed into trains and taken to marshalling yards. There, new trains are put together depending on the destination region of the loads.
This is costly. "Without reform, single wagonload transport could no longer cover costs," wrote the Federal Office of Transport (FOT).
According to the Federal Council, increased federal funding is intended to improve the performance of the entire freight transport system and ensure security of supply in all regions. This concept was well received during the consultation process. A majority of the parties, associations and cantons had spoken out in favor of it.
Specifically, the Federal Council plans to provide financial support for single wagonload transport for a limited period of eight years so that it becomes self-sufficient in the medium term. It is requesting CHF 260 million for the first four years. Transhipment and loading contributions and compensation for the uncovered costs of the ordered freight transport services for a total of CHF 60 million per year are planned for an indefinite period.
Faster processes
The reform is also intended to drive forward the digitalization of rail freight transport. The mechanical coupling of vehicles and their brake air lines is to be automated in future. The current manual documentation and testing processes in train preparation are also to be largely digitalized.
The central element here is the digital automatic coupling (DAC). Freight wagons and locomotives are to be converted to this system throughout Europe by around 2033. In Switzerland, around 15,000 wagons and 520 locomotives are to be equipped with the DAK. The Federal Council intends to support the conversion with a one-off investment contribution of CHF 180 million.
Finally, the Federal Council wants to create the legal basis for the promotion of fossil-free drives in freight shipping and shunting locomotives. This will further strengthen the interaction between rail, ship and road in logistics, it said.
In 2018, Switzerland and the four other member states of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine agreed that inland navigation should become largely emission-free by 2050. Against this backdrop, the Federal Council wants to create a legal basis for financial support for port infrastructure for the transportation of goods on the Rhine.
No additional burden for the federal budget
Overall, the reform proposed by the Federal Council will cost an additional CHF 155 million per year. The additional expenditure is to be fully compensated so that the general federal budget is not burdened with any additional costs.
Part of the revenue from the performance-related heavy vehicle charge (LSVA), which would otherwise flow into the Rail Infrastructure Fund (BIF), is to be used for this purpose. According to the Federal Council, the financing of rail infrastructure maintenance and expansion via the BIF remains guaranteed.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic