After a marked decline in 2020, transport performance in Switzerland rose again in 2021, in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, on the road, rail and cable car network 124.5 billion person-kilometres were travelled – 6% more than in 2020 but still 10% less than in 2019. Of the overall performance, four-fifths, i.e., 98.0 billion person-kilometres, were accounted for by private motorised transport (cars, motorcycles and private buses). This was nearly seven times the number of person-kilometres accounted for by the railways (14.3 billion). Human-powered mobility (on foot and by bicycle) accounted for 8.3 billion person-kilometres and public road transport (trams and buses) for 3.6 billion. Since 1970, the transport performance of motorised private transport and public transport has almost doubled.
Transport performance
Billion person-km (except aviation) | Change from 2019 (before the pandemic), as % | Change from 2000, as % | |
---|---|---|---|
Total land transport performance | 124.5 |
–10 | +22 |
Private motorised road transport | 98.0 | –5 | +24 |
of which passenger cars | 92.7 | –5 | +24 |
Public road transport (tramway, trolley bus, bus) |
3.6 | –23 | +5 |
Railways | 14.3 | –34 | +13 |
Cog railways and cable cars | 0.4 | –23 | –6 |
Human-powered mobility (on foot, by bike) |
8.3 | +2 | +28 |
Aviation (scheduled and charter flights) |
43.6 million passengers2 | –26 |
+27 |
2) Data 2022, local and transfer passengers Sources: FSO – Passenger transport performance (PV-L), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC)
Kilometre performance
In 2021, private motorised transport realised a kilometre performance of 59.0 billion vehicle-kilometres. This corresponds to an increase of 6% compared to 2020 and a decrease of 5% compared to 2019, the year before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. For railways the corresponding value in 2021 was 205 million train-kilometres (+5% compared to 2020 / +2% compared to 2019). In the passenger air transport segment, the use of means of transport is usually expressed in terms of the number of flight movements (take-offs and landings). In the scheduled and charter flight segment, 355 915 flight movements were registered in 2022 (+86% compared to 2021 / –24% compared to 2019).
Billion vehicle-km or train-km (except aviation) | Change from 2020, as % | Change from 2000, as % | |
---|---|---|---|
Private motorised road transport | 59.0 | +6 | +8 |
of which passenger cars | 56.0 | +6 | +7 |
domestic vehicles | 49.1 | +5 | +4 |
foreign vehicles | 7.6 | +15 | +38 |
Railway | 0.2 | +5 | +46 |
Aviation (scheduled and charter flights) | 355 915 take-offs and landings2 |
+113 | –34 |
2) Data 2022 Sources: FSO – Passenger transport performance (PV-L), Public transport statistics (TP); FSO, FOCA – Aviation, scheduled and charter flights (AVIA_LC)
Statistical concepts
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section MobilityEspace de l'Europe 10
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Switzerland
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