Switzerland invests in French and Italian infrastructure

Switzerland invests in French and Italian infrastructure


Switzerland aims to extend its infrastructure investments in France and Italy, targeting rail lines and terminals. In France, it is working with the government to define the size and type of investment on the Wörth-Strasbourg line. As for Italy, the Swiss look at co-financing the extension of the Lötschberg-Simplon line and the construction of the new Milano Smistamento terminal.

“It is our constitutional obligation to enable the modal shift even outside Switzerland if this means that our country also benefits” said Peter Füglistaler, director of land transport at the Swiss Federal Office of Transport. In this way, he tried to explain why Switzerland decides to invest in the infrastructure of other countries.

Switzerland might not have reached the goal of a maximum of 650,000 truck movements in 2021 (the number of transalpine truck journeys was 860,000); however, this supposed failure provides space for more plans and investments to reach the needed rail freight modal split. “As long as we don’t reach our goal, we need to do more, including rail investments in other countries. We have the legal basis for that”, emphasised Füglistaler.

Peter Füglistaler, director of land transport at the Swiss Federal Office of Transport.

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17th May 2022