Significant decline in freight transport in Switzerland in 2023

Freight transport in Switzerland in 2023 fell significantly on road and rail. The decline amounted to 6.1 and 5.7 percent respectively. This was the lowest figure for heavy goods traffic on the roads since 2007.

Last year, freight transport performance on road and rail totalled 26.1 billion tonne-kilometres, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Tuesday. One tonne-kilometre corresponds to the transport of one tonne over one kilometer.

Compared to the previous year, total transport performance fell by 6.0 percent. The decline was similar for both modes of transport. Rail's share of transport services remained unchanged at 38% in 2023, while road's share was 62%.

At 15.5 billion tonne-kilometres, the 2023 figure for heavy goods traffic on the roads was the lowest since 2007. At 9.9 billion tonne-kilometres, rail freight transport performance was also remarkably low in a long-term comparison, according to the FSO. Apart from the pandemic year 2020, you would have to go back to 2012 to find a lower figure.

The main reason for the decline in transport services in 2023 is likely to have been the weak economic development in Switzerland and Europe. In international transport, road and rail transport services fell by 8% within a year.

Within Switzerland, heavy goods traffic on the roads fell by 5%. Rail, on the other hand, increased by 5 percent.

SDA