The Swiss Federal Council decided to continue to support cross-Alpine rail freight services until 2035 instead of 2030. The proposal stems from the fact that freight trains across the Alps have been decreasing over the past four years and that “a reversal of this trend is not expected before the end of the decade”, the Council added.
The idea is to modify the support package for unaccompanied combined transport. Initially, the funds allocated for this measure were supposed to be gradually reduced every year. Now, the Council has proposed to stop the reduction until 2029. In total, there will be 486 million CHF (527 million euros) made available for the 2027-2035 period.
For the first three years, Switzerland will provide between 55 and 59 million CHF per year (59 and 64 million euros). After that, the funds will gradually decrease every year, with an annual average of 50 million CHF (54 million euros). “The subsidies are financed by the mineral oil tax revenue”, the Federal Council explained. Consultations on the approval of this measure will last until 11 August.
Stopping the bleeding
One of the main reasons for allocating more money to unaccompanied combined transport is the discontinuation of the rolling highway between Germany and Italy, which ran through Switzerland. With this initiative, truck drivers would put the vehicles on rail wagons and then travel with them in a passenger carriage attached to the freight convoy.
The service was interrupted at the end of 2025, increasing the risk that many of these trucks would go back on the road, something Switzerland is committed to avoid. The modal share of rail freight for cross-Alpine traffic has been decreasing for years, and has now dropped under 70% for the first time in a decade.
By boosting unaccompanied combined transport (what we refer to as rail highways), the Federation hopes to keep freight on the railways. In addition to these incentives for combined transport, Switzerland is also working on making trucks pay more for the use of the road infrastructure to make rail freight more competitive.