The modal share of transalpine rail freight in Switzerland fell below 70% for the first time since the mid-2010s, reaching 68.6% in 2025. On the other hand, the number of trucks crossing the Alps remained stable, with 960,000 units.
“The ongoing decline in transalpine rail freight traffic is due to poor quality and reliability along Europe’s north-south routes”, the Swiss government said. More specifically, the main factors for the decrease were the many infrastructure works in Germany and a challenging economic climate.
Simplon and Gotthard struggling
In terms of net tonnes, there was a 7.5% decrease in goods moved by freight trains, from 25,6 million to 23,7 million tonnes. Road transport showed stability even in these figures, with 10,8 million tonnes both in 2024 and 2025. The two main transalpine axes, the Gotthard and Simplon, both performed somewhat negatively in terms of net tonnes. The former had a market share of 78.1%, up 8.4% from 2025, while the latter “suffered further losses in market share”, standing at 21.3%.
Volumes along the Simplon fell in all categories: rail (-33%), road (-65.9%), combined transport (-29.8%) and rolling highways (-23.5%). This is because the Simplon Tunnel was closed for six months for renovation. This trend is likely to remain as there are three more six-month planned closures to renew the infrastructure until 2028.
The Gotthard, on the other hand, posted slightly better numbers in rail (+3.3%) and combined transport (+6.5%) in 2025 compared to the previous year. However, this ‘growth’ is likely linked to the much lower starting base, following a derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the summer of 2023, which kept the infrastructure only partially available for most of 2024. In fact, rolling highways (-32.8%) and road transport (-3.3%) along the Gotthard both decreased, similarly to what happened with the Simplon.
If Switzerland can’t, then who will?
The negative figures posted for transalpine rail freight echoes the ones published last week by SBB Cargo, Switzerland’s state owned operator. The company continues to increase its losses, with a -60.4% between 2024 and 2025. Volumes are dropping both domestically and internationally, with single wagonload remaining a significant challenge.
Amid struggling European countries, Switzerland has traditionally been (and for now still is) the queen of rail freight, with numbers much above the EU average. Over the past few years, however, the struggle seems to have become contagious, and Switzerland can only do so much to contain the damage. For example, the country is investing heavily in infrastructure and terminals both on its soil and in its neighbours’ territories, especially Italy and France. But will this be enough to invert this downward trend?
