The measures announced yesterday by the Swiss Federal Council to Stimulate the shift of freight transport by road railway, in the light of the latest discouraging report on the Transfer of transalpine freight traffic presented yesterday ( of 19 November 2025), are appreciable, but it is necessary that the Switzerland must lobby to solve infrastructure problems north of the Alpine railway crossings of the Alptransit system and introducing short-term incentives to prevent further large volume of goods from the rail to the road. The underlined the railway company BLS Cargo, whose rail freight services are focused on on the north-south axis through Switzerland.

Commenting on the content of the report, which shows how in the In the last two years, transalpine rail freight transport has recorded both an absolute drop in traffic volume and a loss of market share to road haulage, BLS Cargo has noted that there are no signs for 2026 either. not at all good even in light of the early closure of the RAlpin Rolling Highway between Fribourg and Novara ( of 5 May 2025). BLS Cargo confirmed this negative trend, which is also reflected in the company's operating performance, which 2023 and the first half of 2025 experienced a decrease of -12% in the number of trains operated, a drop - specified BLS Cargo - which has been particularly pronounced in the current year. The company explained that the main cause of this reduction in activity "are, on the one hand, the capacity limitations due to construction sites and maintenance that are already leading to cancellations of scheduled trains. On the other hand, there are further cancellations of operational trains caused by a inadequate and congestion, especially on the infrastructure German Society".

BLS Cargo has denounced that "the situation is serious" as 15-20% of the trains operated have currently been cancelled by the company, "which means that it is no longer We can offer customers a reliable product. In addition to the precariousness of operational activity - highlighted continues the company - there are increases in costs for cargo railways, since locomotives and train drivers can no longer be used efficiently". In addition, "Despite the scarce availability of infrastructure, Rail access prices continue to rise incessantly in all countries, penalties of cancellation, the demands for the expensive system of control of ERTMS trains and administrative rules are exacerbated".

In light of this situation, BLS Cargo has invited the Switzerland to give new political impetus to the implementation of the mandate of the transfer of traffic from the road to the rail, starting with "exerting tangible pressure on the players in the German railway infrastructure". Second BLS Cargo, in fact, "the infrastructure policy in particular the management of control, construction sites and maintenance by the German grid operator DB InfraGO will play a decisive role in the coming years: only when the interruptions of the lines will be significantly reduced, detours will be available, the works of will be moved to periods of low intensity and track access prices will be maintained The company observed that the freight railway companies are constant how BLS Cargo will be able to stabilise its operations and contribute again to the modal shift'. BLS Cargo has recalled that in recent days companies and associations in the sector of intermodal transport have sent an open letter to the new CEO of Deutsche Bahn, Evelyn Palla, and German Minister of Transport, Patrick Schnieder, co-signed by Dirk Stahl as president of the ERFA, in which it is highlighted that "we cannot continue like this!" ( of 30 October 2025).

In addition to lobbying to solve problems of the infrastructure, BLS Cargo also called for the introduction of short-term financial support measures until 2030, 'in so that - the company specified - customers do not flock to mass on the roads and do not cause bottlenecks, traffic jams and environmental pollution. In particular - is the request - in the coming years, the prices of access to the should be reduced as much as possible with the funds for the Rola that will be allocated, amounting to about 60 million euros until 2028, but at least they should not be increased. For BLS Cargo, in addition, contributions to unaccompanied combined transport should be kept unchanged until 2030 and then extended and also the compensation of the CO2 emissions from which it benefits rail freight transport should already be further expanded.