In the first half of 2024, freight transport through the Swiss Alps saw a slight decrease in rail's share, which now stands at 72.3%, down by 0.5% compared to the same period last year. This reduction was driven by several factors, including the accident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in August 2023 and ongoing construction work on key access routes to Alptransit, as well as continued economic uncertainty in Europe. Meanwhile, transalpine road traffic saw an increase, with 480,000 truck transits in the first half of 2024, up by 3.5% from 2023.
According to data released by the Federal Office of Transport, a total of 19.6 million tonnes of goods were transported across the Swiss Alps by road and rail in the first six months of 2024, an increase of 360,000 tonnes (+1.9%) compared to the previous year.
The consequences of the Gotthard tunnel accident continued to be felt in the first half of 2024, with a 7.2% reduction in rail freight volume along the Gotthard axis compared to 2023. In contrast, the volume transported on the Lötschberg-Simplon axis increased by 23%, leading to a slight overall rise in the volume of goods transported by rail through the Alps (+1.3%). The increase in road transport mainly affected the Gotthard (+5.2%) and Great St. Bernard (+18.7%) passes, while the San Bernardino and Simplon passes recorded a decrease.
The evolution of transalpine freight transport is closely tied to the economic situation in Europe, particularly in key countries such as Italy and Germany, where economic growth has been hindered by the effects of the war in Ukraine that began in February 2022. In addition, rail traffic was impacted by operational limitations due to construction work on foreign access routes, which led to the closure of both railway lines through Switzerland for several weeks in the first half of 2024. According to the Federal Office of Transport, upcoming construction work on access routes in Italy and Germany starting in summer 2024 could lead to a further significant decline in rail traffic.
