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

  • New data shows continued fall in KSI figures on UK roads
    June 27, 2013
    The UK’s road safety is improving according to the latest set of official statistics. According to the Department for Transport (DfT) figures, 1,754 people were killed on the UK’s roads in 2012, a drop of 8% from the figure for 2011 and the lowest level since national records commenced in 1926. Meanwhile 23,039 people suffered serious injuries in road crashes, 0.4% lower than the 23,122 in 2011 but 15% lower than the average for the 2005-2009 period. The number of child casualties fell 17% to 17,251 compare
  • Turkey is investing in new motorway and bridge projects
    May 29, 2013
    Turkey is benefiting from new motorway and bridge projects constructed along the BOT model - Gülay Malkoç. Looking at Turkey’s economic development, road construction plays a crucial role. The investment in Turkey is becoming increasingly attractive for both local and foreign investors. There are significant huge road investments and projects being made in Turkey at present, compared with EU countries where the roads need mostly repair and maintenance. According to the approach of Turkey’s Ministry of Trans
  • Analysing green Australian procurement practices
    December 16, 2014
    Adriana Sanchez and Keith Hampson of the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) discuss green procurement Procurement has a key role impacting the lifecycle of a construction project and can serve to drive many sustainability outcomes. Green procurement in particular can be used as a strategic tool to promote certain behaviour and as an environmental policy instrument to translate environmental policies into environmentally sustainable project processes, products and services. Th
  • Tajikistan tunnel construction work
    April 17, 2020
    Work is resuming on the Istiqlol Tunnel in Tajikistan.