Parliament calls for new instruments to strengthen relocation
Published: Tuesday, Sep 24th 2024, 11:30
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The transfer of freight traffic on the north-south axis from road to rail is to be accelerated. This is what Parliament is demanding. After the National Council, the Council of States also approved two motions on Tuesday. Now it is the Federal Council's turn.
The constitutional goal of shifting freight traffic through the Alps is a long way off. In 2023, 916,000 truck journeys were counted through the Alps. According to the modal shift target, this figure should be 650,000 per year.
Parliament therefore wants to take action. It referred two motions from the National Council's Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF-N) to the Federal Council. The Council of States, as the second chamber, said yes to two motions.
Promoting expansion abroad
Firstly, the Federal Council should advocate the expansion of the tunnel on the NRLA feeder route from Metz in France to Strasbourg and Basel to a four-meter corridor profile for combined transport. The Confederation should offer France the prospect of financial assistance, as has already been done with Italy.
The expansion on the left bank of the Rhine was the only option for the next twenty years in view of the major construction sites in Germany, the KVF-N argued. The critics argued that Switzerland should not be investing money abroad while at the same time postponing support for domestic industry.
The second motion that was passed calls for the provision of buffer tracks along the north-south corridor and on both sides of the Alps. Trains should be able to be temporarily parked there if they are unable to run due to disruptions.
According to the KVF-N, 10 to 15 percent of freight trains are currently canceled due to major construction sites. That is too much. The SVP, on the other hand, argued that Switzerland should not become a European parking lot for freight wagons.
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