Rail loses share in transalpine freight traffic
Published: Thursday, Sep 12th 2024, 12:20
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In the first half of 2024, slightly more goods were transported through the Swiss Alps compared to the same period last year. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the number of trucks. Rail freight traffic through the Gotthard declined due to the consequences of the accident.
A total of 19.6 million tons of goods were transported by road and rail through the Swiss Alps in the first six months of this year, as reported by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) on Thursday. This is an increase of 1.9 percent compared to the same period last year. 72.3 percent of goods were transported by rail, which represents a decrease of 0.5 percent.
The late effects of the accident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in August 2023 were clearly noticeable. Freight volumes on this axis fell by 7.2 percent, while the Lötschberg-Simplon axis recorded an increase of 23 percent, the report continued. Overall, the volume of goods transported by rail increased by 1.3%.
Although the Gotthard Base Tunnel has been fully operational again since the beginning of September, the FOT expects a significant decline in rail transportation from summer 2024. According to the communiqué, this is due to major construction work on the access routes in Italy and Germany.
In the first six months of the year, 480,000 trucks crossed the Alps by road. This is 3.5 percent more than in the previous year. According to the FOT, there was an increase of 5.2 percent on the Gotthard and 18.7 percent on the Great St. Bernard Pass. Traffic decreased on the San Bernardino and Simplon.
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