Goods transport

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Goods transport in Switzerland is mainly carried out over land, i.e. by road and rail. Together, these two modes of transport generated a transport performance of 27.8 billion tonne-kilometres in 2021. The highest previously recorded value was 28.2 billion tonne-kilometres in 2014.

In 2021, 63% of transport performance on land was generated by road vehicles, 37% by rail. In transalpine goods transport, the share of rail transport was considerably higher at 74%.

In import and export traffic, airfreight, Rhine shipping and oil pipelines are also significant components besides road and rail transport.

Key figures on goods transport

Goods transport by road and rail
Total transport performance	27.8 billion tonne-km1	2021
Change	+18%	2000–2021
Rail share	37%	2021
Change of transport performance by road	+28%	2000–2021
hange of transport performance2 by rail	+5%	2000–2021
Goods transport by air, water and pipeline
Aviation: quantity carried3	0.4 million tonnes	2022
Shipping on the Rhine: quantity carried4	5.4 million tonnes	2021
Oil pipelines: quantity imported	2,9 million tonnes	2021
Transalpine goods transport (through Switzerland)
Rail share in quantity carried	74%r	2021
Transalpine trips by heavy goods vehicles	0.90 millionr	2021
Change	–36%r	2000–2021

1) In combined transport calculated without the tare weight of containers and swap bodies (i.e. for rail: net tonne-kilometres)
2) Net tonne-kilometres
3) Freight and post in incoming and outgoing scheduled and charter traffic
4) Imports and exports
r) rectified Sources: FSO – Goods transport statistics (GTS), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC); FOT, FEDRO – Transalpine goods transport; Swiss Ports – Freight transport on the Rhine; Avenergy Suisse – Annual report

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