In 2023, transport performance of 9.9 billion net tonne-kilometres was generated in goods transport on the Swiss railway network. The figure is 5.7% lower than that of 2022 and 2.1% lower compared to 2019, the year preceding the pandemic. Apart from the first year of the pandemic 2020, the transport performance of 2023 was the lowest since 2012.
In 2022 the railway’s share in the total transport performance by road and rail was 38%. Following a decline in its importance in the 1980s and 1990s, rail has been able to stabilise its market share in recent years. Amongst other factors this was due to the promotion of goods transport by rail through the reform of the railways, the modernisation of infrastructure as well as subsidies and investment aid. The introduction of the performance-related heavy vehicle charge (the HVC) for lorries and road tractors also helped to stabilise the share of rail transport.
Goods transport by rail, 2023
Transport performance
9.9 billion net tonne-km
Change from 2000
–0.6%
Quantity of goods carried
67.1 million tonnes
Change from 2000
+7.2%
Kilometre performance
27.4 million train-km
Change from 2000
–13.0%
Source: FSO – Public transport statistics (TP)
Domestic and international transport
While road vehicles mainly carry out small-scale transport within Switzerland, the railways are predominantly used for transit trips and thus for transport over longer distances. In 2023 63% of transport performance for goods by rail was accounted for by transit trips. Domestic transport accounted for 26%. Since 2008 it has declined in importance both in terms of percentage (–3 percentage points) and in absolute terms (–0.6 bn tonne-kilometres). In 2023 imports and exports together accounted for 11% of transport performance in rail freight.
With regard to the countries concerned by cross-border rail freight, Germany leads as both export and import country. Belgium and Italy are two further important countries, but they come in a considerable distance behind Germany, in particular as far as imports are concerned. In terms of quantities exported, the differences to Germany are smaller.
Commodities transported
Comparatively large amounts of transport performance in rail freight are accounted for by the commodity groups “Metal and metal products”, “Food” and “Petroleum products”. In much of transport performance, however, the commodity cannot be statistically identified – because the goods are carried in containers, swap bodies or along with the transporting motor vehicles. Transport of this type is known as "combined transport".
The key figures for goods transport by rail are published every quarter.
Goods transport by rail in the last four available quarters (in brackets: Change compared to previous year)
2nd quarter 2023
3rd quarter 2023
4th quarter 2023
1st quarter 2024 p
Tonnescarried (millions)
13.9 (–4.1%)
13.1 (–4.5%)
12.7 (–6.2%)
13.2 (–2.6%)
Tonnes-km (millions)
2 733.7 (–4.4%)
2 501.3 (–6.4%)
2 402.9 (–8.3%)
2 510.0 (–7.5%)
p provisional data (situation on: June 17, 2024)
Note: Analogous to Ordinance (EU) No 2018/643 only enterprises with an annual transport performance of at least 500 million tonne-km.
Source: FSO – Public transport statistics (TP)
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