The material to organise the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, will mostly be delivered by road despite the availability of Rhaetian Railway to use their trains. The company said that there was no increased interest in using rail freight to move the cargo needed for the WEF. Is this just a coincidence or a reflection of general sentiment regarding freight transport?
The WEF will take place between 19 and 23 January 2026 and will gather leaders from various sectors of society. From politicians to CEOs, thousands will meet in Davos to discuss the present and future of our world, including ways to challenge the impact of climate change and how to create a more sustainable environment. Some might argue that using a greener mode of transport to move the material for the event would have been a good experiment of leading by example.
On the other hand, only around 20 containers will travel on rail, while everything else, even freight coming from abroad, will be moved by trucks, various Swiss media including Keystone-ATS underlined. This trend has been the same for three years, despite the promises of road decongestion made by the city of Davos. Still, Rhaetian Railway continues to be available and is negotiating for short-term transport requests to supply the WEF.
Hypocritical leadership
This episode begs the question of how committed our leaders actually are when it comes to reducing our impact on the planet. Meetings such as the WEF, in theory, are opportunities to exchange ideas on how to improve society. The so-called ‘green transition’ and reducing emissions are often key themes at these events. In reality, however, the events themselves end up having a heavy impact, since they entail moving a lot of people and freight, with the ‘greenest’ option rarely chosen.
