Switzerland aims to promote rail freight transport and inland navigation
Jan 13, 2024 at 8:35 PM
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The new railway infrastructure on the Gotthard axis has significantly influenced traffic and spatial development. This is the conclusion of the latest report from the “Monitoring Gotthard Axis” (MGA) project of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE). The stations along the axis are now more utilized thanks to investments, and the demand for train travel has increased.
2016 saw the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), followed five years later by the Ceneri Base Tunnel. The latest report from the MGA project shows how these infrastructures have changed traffic and spatial development. In the period before the pandemic (2016 to 2019), the number of train passengers increased by 28 percent. The number of road travelers (tunnel and pass road) decreased by 2 percent during this time.
After the pandemic in 2022, rail travel on the Gotthard increased significantly, with 4,000 additional travelers per day compared to 2016. This represents an increase of 48 percent. On the road, there were 2,000 more travelers per day compared to 2016 (+8 percent). The increase is mainly due to tourist traffic. This had an impact on overnight stays in Ticino. While this number decreased by 7.4 percent between 2011 and 2015, it increased by 3.4 percent between 2016 and 2019.
In freight transport, a noticeable shift from road to rail is taking place. For the first time, alongside transit traffic, there is also significant growth in regional rail freight transport between Ticino and German-speaking Switzerland. Since 2016, the volume of containers handled at Ticino terminals has increased by around 38 percent.
Economic and Spatial Development Accelerated
The new railway axis has also accelerated economic and spatial development. In the canton of Ticino, urban centers are being strengthened. Economic and demographic growth around the stations of the Bellinzona agglomeration is particularly pronounced. These areas have benefited the most from the improved accessibility provided by the Ceneri Base Tunnel. In the canton of Uri, the new cantonal station in Altdorf is structuring settlement growth in the Reuss valley and increasing commuter flows northward to the centers of German-speaking Switzerland.
Photo: © SBB
