Michael Gehrken
Michael Gehrken has been firmly established in the Swiss mobility landscape for many years – as a communicator, association director, and strategic thinker. After starting out as a journalist, he moved to the federal administration, where he initially worked as head of communications at the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) and later as co-responsible for NEAT communications at the Federal Office of Transport (FOT).
From 2006 to 2014, he was director of the Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association ASTAG, where he had a significant influence on industry communications. Today, as president of L-drive Switzerland, the umbrella organization for Swiss driving instructors, he is at the forefront of an important voice in the field of road safety and training.
With the mobility-360.ch platform, Michael Gehrken is committed to independent, fact-based, and forward-looking reporting on all aspects of mobility—from new technologies to social developments. His writing combines experience in politics, business, and practice with a clear vision of the mobility of tomorrow.
Startseite » The Federal Government Is Buying Time for the Shift to Rail
The Federal Government Is Buying Time for the Shift to Rail
• The constitutional mandate remains unfulfilled because the federal government relies on operating subsidies.
• In 2035, it will once again have to ask itself whether Switzerland should cling to the illusion of modal shift.
The mandate is clear. In 1994, voters demanded a limit on the number of truck trips across the Alps from border to border. Parliament ultimately aimed to reduce the number of trips to 650,000 per year. But reality has made a mockery of this goal.
The modal shift mandate remains unfulfilled
In 2024, around 960,000 trucks crossed the Alps—more than ever before. This means the federal government has been way off target for years. Nevertheless, there is no honest debate about tougher measures—or about abandoning the illusion of modal shift.
The end of the Rola service exacerbates the situation
Now the next setback looms. At the end of 2025, the Rolling Highway—which transferred around 70,000 trucks to rail annually—was discontinued. Consequently, the number of trucks could surpass the one-million mark in 2026. This is precisely where the Federal Council’s proposal now comes in. While it temporarily stabilizes combined transport, as our analysis shows, it does not reverse the trend. And damage control is not an ambitious transportation policy.
Federal Council Refrains from Further Adjusting the Heavy Vehicle Fee
What the proposal leaves out is striking. After all, the performance-based heavy-vehicle tax remains the actual steering instrument. Anyone seeking to shift freight would have to start with the price. Instead, the federal government is distributing operating subsidies and hoping for better times. That’s convenient, but it’s not enough. At the same time, there are good reasons not to further burden road freight transport.
The Federal Council remains too timid
The 486 million francs prevent a collapse. In that respect, they deserve approval. But they are no substitute for a strategy. As long as train paths remain unreliable and pricing fails to provide incentives, the modal shift target remains a dead letter. The federal government is buying time. Nothing more.
And in 2035, it will once again have to face the question of whether it really wants to cling to the illusion of modal shift.
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Michael Gehrken
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