Skip to main content

Tunnel key to reducing freight traffic

According to the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, the number of freight vehicles travelling by road through the Alps in 2010 increased by 77,000 to 1.257 million, matching the levels of 2007 and 2008.
February 22, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The Swiss want to reduce the number of road freight vehicles travelling through the Alps after the Gotthard Base Tunnel opens in 2019. Seen late last year is the breakthrough in the eastern tube of the twin tube 57km long tunnel. (Pic: Herrenknecht)
According to the 2970 Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, the number of freight vehicles travelling by road through the Alps in 2010 increased by 77,000 to 1.257 million, matching the levels of 2007 and 2008.
The goal by the end of 2011 is to reduce this number to a maximum of 1 million and to 650,000 in 2019 following the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
According to law if these levels are not achieved the 2972 Swiss Federal Council will have to submit additional measures to achieve it. The Federal Council is to submit alternative proposals later in 2011.
In 2010 more goods were also transported across the Alps by rail, with 62.7% of all freight being transported through the Alps by train, compared to 60.9% in 2009.

Related Content

  • Pöyry picks up tunnel project on Switzerland’s A2 motorway
    August 18, 2016
    The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has awarded Poyry detailed engineering planning work for the upgrading of operational and safety equipment in two major tunnels on the A2 motorway. The A2 forms the main north-south motorway in Switzerland, connecting Basel with Chiasso. The Schänzli and Hagnau tunnels have been in operation for four decades and are being completely refurbished. Pöyry has already been handling the structural measures and ventilation systems in the tunnels, said Marcel Winter,
  • TBM for Gotthard Tunnel drive
    August 9, 2024
    A new TBM will be used to drive the new Gotthard Tunnel tube.
  • Better road safety reduces Europe’s casualty figures
    October 2, 2014
    Improving road safety in the EU has resulted in a drop in the fatality rate. Official figures just released show that the number of people killed on Europe's roads fell by 8% in 2013. This follows on from the drop in fatalities of between 2011 and 2012 and Europe is on track to halve road deaths in the 2010-2020 period Figures released by the European Commission provide grounds for optimism and Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said, “We welcome the reductio
  • European road deaths reduced but more to be done
    February 15, 2012
    While the EU target of reducing deaths by 50% has resulted in impressive figures, there is still more to be done as Patrick Smith reports. The latest statistics show European Union (EU) efforts to reduce road deaths by 50% have met with considerable success. As EU members look to the new European Action Programme for the period 2010 to 2020