However, the development is clear: 2025 brought no relief to the Swiss rail freight performance. Like in 2024, the industry declined both in terms of tonnage transported and performance in tonne-kilometres.

Some of the quarterly changes seem alarming. Between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025, transport performance decreased by over 18%, according to the preliminary numbers. During that same period, the total weight transported shrank by 13.5%. In the last quarter of 2025, transported performance also declined by over 12% compared to Q4 2024.

Infrastructure works are a major hindrance

The Swiss statistics agency did not provide an explanation for the decline. Switzerland plays a key role in transalpine traffic however, and that is exactly where performance has been slowing since 2021. A reverse modal shift is taking place, and that was no different in 2025.

The modal share of transalpine rail freight in Switzerland fell below 70% for the first time since the mid-2010s, reaching 68.6% in 2025. “The ongoing decline in transalpine rail freight traffic is due to poor quality and reliability along Europe’s north-south routes”, the Swiss government said earlier.

This is confirmed by Simon Wey, who heads the Swiss shippers’ association VAP. Especially, the many infrastructure works in Germany hinder rail freight operations along the Rhine corridor. Switzerland has also pointed to the challenging economic climate as a culprit.

Simultaneously, however, rail freight traffic has been hindered by renovation works on the Simplon tunnel, which crosses into Italy. For six months each year until 2029, there will be work ongoing. This impacts the capacity for rail freight. On the Italian side of the border, similar works are ongoing. The Domodossola – Milan route was closed entirely between 8 June and 27 July, as well as from 31 August to 12 September.

Wagon wheel safety rules

VAP’s Simon Wey also tells RailFreight.com that the infamous wagon wheel safety rules had an impact on 2025’s figures. The rules were introduced in the autumn of 2025 and are currently being fought over in court, but the rules had an immediate impact on the success of rail freight. Shippers said that they “took the first possible opportunity” to switch to the road due to the ongoing uncertainty created by Switzerland’s regulation ideas.

The outlook for 2026 is not much better. Wey expects a further reverse modal shift to the road in light of the transalpine rolling highway cancellation at the end of 2025.

Simplon and Gotthard struggling

In terms of net tonnes, there was a 7.5% decrease in goods moved by freight trains, from 25,6 million to 23,7 million tonnes. Road transport showed stability even in these figures, with 10,8 million tonnes both in 2024 and 2025. The two main transalpine axes, the Gotthard and Simplon, both performed somewhat negatively in terms of net tonnes. The former had a market share of 78.1%, up 8.4% from 2025, while the latter “suffered further losses in market share”, standing at 21.3%.

Volumes along the Simplon fell in all categories: rail (-33%), road (-65.9%), combined transport (-29.8%) and rolling highways (-23.5%). This is because the Simplon Tunnel was closed for six months for renovation. This trend is likely to remain as there are three more six-month planned closures to renew the infrastructure until 2028.

The Gotthard, on the other hand, posted slightly better numbers in rail (+3.3%) and combined transport (+6.5%) in 2025 compared to the previous year. However, this ‘growth’ is likely linked to the much lower starting base, following a derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the summer of 2023, which kept the infrastructure only partially available for most of 2024. In fact, rolling highways (-32.8%) and road transport (-3.3%) along the Gotthard both decreased, similarly to what happened with the Simplon.

If Switzerland can’t, then who will?

The negative figures posted for transalpine rail freight echoes the ones published last week by SBB Cargo, Switzerland’s state owned operator. The company continues to increase its losses, with a -60.4% between 2024 and 2025. Volumes are dropping both domestically and internationally, with single wagonload remaining a significant challenge.

Amid struggling European countries, Switzerland has traditionally been (and for now still is) the queen of rail freight, with numbers much above the EU average. Over the past few years, however, the struggle seems to have become contagious, and Switzerland can only do so much to contain the damage. For example, the country is investing heavily in infrastructure and terminals both on its soil and in its neighbours’ territories, especially Italy and France. But will this be enough to invert this downward trend?