According to the Federal Statistical Office, freight transport in Switzerland experienced a significant contraction in 2023, affecting both road and rail. Overall transport performance decreased by 6%, with road transport down by 6.1% and rail by 5.7%. This resulted in a total of 26.1 billion tonne-kilometres, marking one of the lowest performances in recent years. Heavy road freight dropped to its lowest level since 2007, reaching 15.5 billion tonne-kilometres, while rail freight remained weak at 9.9 billion tonne-kilometres.
The contraction was particularly pronounced in international traffic, with an 8% decline on both road and rail, largely attributed to economic weakness affecting Switzerland and Europe. On the domestic front, road transport performance saw a reduction of 5%, while rail transport—which plays a limited role within national borders—experienced an increase of 5%. The share of rail transport compared to road remained stable at 38% versus 62%, respectively.
A notable development in 2023 was the increase in the distance covered by commercial vehicles, which reached 5.1 billion kilometres. In Switzerland, light commercial vehicles are far more numerous than heavy ones, with approximately 431,000 light vehicles compared to 54,000 heavy vehicles, but they cover fewer kilometres on average annually (12,000 versus 32,000). Overall, light vehicles constitute a significant portion of traffic, but their transport performance in terms of tonne-kilometres is fourteen times lower than that of heavy vehicles.
This disparity is due to the fact that commercial vehicles are mainly used for service runs, such as tradespeople attending customer sites, rather than for transporting goods. In fact, only 37% of the kilometres driven by vans in 2023 were for goods transport, while 52% were for service runs and 9% for private purposes. Despite the absence of night-time restrictions for light vehicles, only 2% of the kilometres driven by these vehicles occurred during night hours.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the overall picture for 2023 reflects a period of economic slowdown that has impacted the entire freight transport chain. This trend raises concerns not only regarding logistical efficiency but also for the prospects of economic growth in Switzerland. Experts suggest that a stronger recovery of the European economic context, which continues to heavily influence international transport dynamics, will be crucial for the sector's performance to rebound.
