Switzerland is the European country with the highest share of rail freight. However, the sector is losing numbers, as a report from the Swiss information service for public transport (LITRA) underlined.
In the first quarter of 2025, rail freight in Switzerland reached 2,86 billion net tonne-kilometres, 1.9 per cent lower than in the same period in 2024. A slight decline (-0.9 per cent) was also registered compared to the last quarter of 2024. “Non-transalpine traffic is in decline and is mainly responsible for the overall drop”, LITRA specified.
On the other hand, a somewhat positive note was a 1.3 per cent increase in transalpine traffic between the first quarter of 2024 and the same period this year. Last year, in fact, transalpine rail traffic in Switzerland slightly decreased Despite not being specified by LITRA, the growth in the beginning of this year can be attributed to the reopening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in September 2024 after being closed for over one year.
