Trucks unable to cross Swiss Alps by rail from 2026

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Lorries will no longer be able to cross the Swiss Alps by rail from the end of the year. A logistics firm has gone bust after facing serious economic challenges.

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“In agreement with the Swiss Confederation, operation of the Rola (rolling motorway) will cease at the end of 2025 instead of 2028,” wrote the service’s operators, RAlpin, in a press release on Monday.

This means that full lorries will no longer be able to be loaded onto trains. Containers can still be transported.

Truck loading “is no longer profitable for RAlpin, despite financial support from the Confederation and continuing satisfactory demand”, says the cooperative venture between BLS, SBB and Hupac.

The increasing number of disruptions to the rail infrastructure in Germany partly explains the difficulties of the service, which transports lorries between Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and Novara in Italy.

RAlpin is seeking solutions for the 16 employees affected.

Adapted from French by DeepL/mga

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