Source: https://mediarail.wordpress.com/how-switzerland-keeps-alpine-rail-traffic-running-strong/
How Switzerland Keeps Alpine Rail Traffic Running Strong
Author: Frédéric de Kemmeter
04.02.2026 | Rail transit traffic through Switzerland has occupied a central place in European transport policy for several decades, because Switzerland lies in the middle of the main rail‑freight axis linking the ports of Northern Europe (Rotterdam, Antwerp) with Italian and Mediterranean markets. Here is an overview of the current situation.
The project known as the New Railway Line through the Alps (NLFA in french) was approved by the Swiss population as early as 1992 as a major component of the modal‑shift strategy aimed at moving trucks off the roads and onto rail for Alpine crossings, thereby reducing environmental impacts and road congestion in Alpine regions while modernising transalpine rail infrastructure. This strategy was written into the Swiss Constitution, supported by successive laws, and closely linked to instruments such as the performance‑related heavy‑vehicle charge (RPLP).
The New Railway Line through the Alps (NLFA) is Switzerland’s largest rail project and forms part of the European freight corridor Rotterdam–Genoa within the core TEN‑T network, which also includes the Rhine‑Alps corridor segment. The NLFA consists of three base tunnels: the Lötschberg Base Tunnel (34.6 km, opened in 2007), the Gotthard Base Tunnel (57 km, opened in 2016, the longest railway tunnel in the world) and the Ceneri Base Tunnel (15.4 km, opened in 2020).
Three tunnels to create an transit axis significantly reducing travel and transport times.
Together, they create an almost flat transit axis for passenger and freight trains, significantly reducing travel and transport times. They were built to make traffic across the Swiss Alps more efficient and to encourage a modal shift in favour of rail.
These tunnels, along with their access routes, greatly reduce journey times (for example Basel–Milan in around four hours via the Lötschberg) and allow heavier and longer trains than was possible on the historic summit lines. The NLFA and its base tunnels are therefore at the heart of the European Rotterdam–Genoa rail corridor, one of Europe’s most important freight corridors, connecting major economic hubs such as Rotterdam, Duisburg, Cologne, Basel, Milan and Genoa.
In terms of figures, the NLFA was completed at the end of 2020 with the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, and in 2024/2025 the entire infrastructure is fully operational. According to official data, the final projected cost of the NLFA amounts to around 17.8 billion Swiss francs, with most finishing works completed around 2025.
Where do the numbers stand now
The capacities offered by these tunnels are substantial: for example, the Gotthard Base Tunnel can handle around 260 freight trains per day, illustrating the scale of possible flows along this north–south axis.
However, the expected performance of Swiss rail transit does not depend solely on infrastructure within Switzerland. Recent figures show that the modal shift towards rail has progressed less than expected in recent years: at the end of 2024, the rail share of transalpine freight was around 70.3%, a decline compared with previous years, attributed to insufficient connections or technical obstacles.
In 2024, 960,000 trucks crossed the Swiss Alps, 44,000 more than the previous year, far exceeding the target set by the modal‑shift policy (650,000 trucks).
The share of freight trains in overall transalpine transport fell from 72% to around 70.3%, showing that despite NLFA infrastructure (Lötschberg and Gotthard), rail lost some modal share due to disruptions.
It’s important to understand that the modal share shown here refers only to Alpine transit. Many media outlets rely on these figures, but if we look at Switzerland as a whole, road transport accounted for 63% in 2024, while rail stood at around 37%. The myth of a truck‑free Switzerland is therefore just that — a myth.
Structural problems in Germany and in Italy
Access routes in Germany and Italy are essential for trains to run efficiently along the entire European corridor. In this respect, several structural problems have emerged, particularly in Germany. The German rail network, although heavily used, suffers from under‑investment, numerous construction sites and insufficient coordination of works, creating bottlenecks, delays and increased uncertainty for transalpine and international rail operators linking the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
Intermodal associations and operators even sounded the alarm in 2025, calling for more coherent capacity management, controlled access charges and service guarantees during construction works, in order to avoid a shift back to road transport caused by disruptions and declining rail‑service quality.
Access routes in Germany and Italy are essential but several structural problems have emerged
Germany’s challenges also affect the implementation of the Trans‑European Transport Network (TEN‑T), whose Rhine‑Alps corridor — running through Germany and linking Belgium, the Netherlands and Mannheim to Basel — is crucial for north–south traffic. The revision of the European regulation on freight corridors (notably Regulation EU 913/2010) aims to harmonise infrastructure standards and improve capacity management, but effective implementation remains difficult due to differences between national systems and bureaucratic complexity.
The situation in Italy also presents challenges, though of a different nature: some access sections beyond the Swiss tunnels, such as the Brig–Domodossola line via the Simplon Tunnel, remain essential for routing trains to Milan and beyond, but suffer from historic infrastructure constraints and require upgrades to meet the increasingly necessary “4‑metre corridor” loading gauge for combined transport.
Border‑crossing points such as Chiasso on the Swiss southern border or Domodossola on the Italian side are transit nodes where delays sometimes accumulate due to congestion, modernisation works or differences in technical standards, affecting punctuality and train fluidity. Although bilateral agreements (between Switzerland and Italy) provide for improved capacity and better coordination of train paths, full implementation of these measures remains gradual, with works planned until around 2028.