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Funding for Trans-Alpine Rail Freight Transport Through 2035

The shift from road to rail is stalling. For this reason, the Federal Council intends to extend funding for trans-Alpine rail freight transport. A total of approximately 486 million Swiss francs is to be allocated through 2035.
Verlagerungsillusion gefährdet Güterversorgung. The illusion of relocation jeopardises the supply of goods.L'illusion de la relocalisation met en péril l'approvisionnement en marchandises.
© SBB
THE KEY POINTS IN BRIEF
• The Federal Council is extending operating subsidies for trans-Alpine rail freight transport through 2035.
• Approximately 486 million Swiss francs will be allocated through 2035, financed by mineral oil taxes.
• The rail share fell to 68.6 percent in 2025; the consultation period runs through August 11, 2026.

Addi­tion­al fund­ing for trans-Alpine rail freight trans­port through 2035. The Fed­er­al Coun­cil intends to extend fund­ing for trans-Alpine rail freight trans­port through 2035 and sub­mit­ted a cor­re­spond­ing pro­pos­al for pub­lic con­sul­ta­tion on June 12. This is because the shift from road to rail has stalled. Con­se­quent­ly, finan­cial sup­port is to con­tin­ue.

Shift from Road to Rail: Rail’s Market Share Drops Again

In 2025, rail’s mar­ket share stood at 68.6 per­cent. This marked the fourth con­sec­u­tive year that rail lost mar­ket share. This is pri­mar­i­ly due to qual­i­ty issues on the north-south axis. Con­struc­tion work and ser­vice dis­rup­tions in Ger­many are plac­ing addi­tion­al strain on traf­fic. Fur­ther­more, the eco­nom­ic envi­ron­ment remains tense. The fed­er­al gov­ern­ment there­fore does not expect a rever­sal of this trend until toward the end of the decade.

Freight Transport Modal Shift Act: Operating Subsidies Extended

The Fed­er­al Coun­cil sup­ports unac­com­pa­nied com­bined trans­port (UKV). Pre­vi­ous­ly, oper­at­ing sub­si­dies were set to expire in 2030. They will now con­tin­ue through 2035. In addi­tion, the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment will not pro­ceed with the planned phase-out until 2029. How­ev­er, start­ing in 2030, the sub­sidy amount will be grad­u­al­ly reduced. In doing so, the Fed­er­al Coun­cil is ful­fill­ing two iden­ti­cal motions from Parliament—specifically, motions 26.3004 and 26.3009.

486 million francs from the mineral oil tax through 2035

Between 2027 and 2030, the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment will pay 55 to 59 mil­lion francs annu­al­ly. Start­ing in 2030, the amount will decrease to an aver­age of 50 mil­lion francs. Thus, the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment will con­tribute approx­i­mate­ly 486 mil­lion francs by 2035. These con­tri­bu­tions will be financed through min­er­al oil tax­es. At the same time, the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment is amend­ing the Freight Trans­port Ordi­nance.

Consultation on rail freight transport runs through August 2026

The con­sul­ta­tion peri­od runs through August 11, 2026. The fed­er­al gov­ern­ment will then eval­u­ate the feed­back. This will be fol­lowed by a mes­sage to Par­lia­ment. Until then, the pro­mo­tion of rail freight trans­port will remain a key issue in trans­porta­tion pol­i­cy.

(For more infor­ma­tion: Click here for our analy­sis of the extend­ed fund­ing through 2035.)

What has the Fed­er­al Coun­cil decid­ed regard­ing rail freight trans­port?

The Fed­er­al Coun­cil is extend­ing oper­at­ing sub­si­dies through 2035. In doing so, it is sup­port­ing trans-Alpine rail freight trans­port.

The fed­er­al gov­ern­ment will pro­vide approx­i­mate­ly 486 mil­lion Swiss francs through 2035. This will be financed through min­er­al oil tax­es.

In 2025, the rail share stood at 68.6 per­cent. This marked the fourth con­sec­u­tive year that rail lost mar­ket share.

Qual­i­ty issues on the north-south axis are the pri­ma­ry fac­tor weigh­ing on traf­fic. Con­struc­tion work in Ger­many and the eco­nom­ic envi­ron­ment are addi­tion­al fac­tors.

UKV trans­ports load­ing units by rail with­out an accom­pa­ny­ing vehi­cle. The fed­er­al gov­ern­ment sup­ports this mode of trans­port with oper­at­ing sub­si­dies.

The con­sul­ta­tion peri­od runs until August 11, 2026. This will be fol­lowed by a mes­sage to Par­lia­ment.

This page has been translated automatically.

Picture of Michael Gehrken

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.

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