The document discusses Switzerland's experience in shifting freight transport from road to rail in order to reduce environmental impacts in the Alps region. Key policies and initiatives discussed include: 1) The 1994 Alpine Initiative that amended the Swiss constitution to require freight transport through the Alps to shift to rail. 2) The implementation of a heavy vehicle fee (HVF) in 2001 to internalize environmental costs of trucking and help fund rail infrastructure improvements. 3) Major rail infrastructure projects like the Gotthard and Lötschberg base tunnels to increase rail capacity through the Alps.

1. Toni Aschwanden, International Transport Policy Alpine-Initiative Switzerland Warsaw, 28th June 2011 From road to rail - The Swiss experience 1 •

2. The Alps: a natural landscape

3. The Alps: a cultural scene

4. The Alps: a region of transit

7. Development of transalpine freight transport

8. Negative effects accidents fragmentation of landscape noise pollution

9. Pollution & noise: increased negative effects Source: ALPNAP In a valley the dispersion concentration is 3x higher than in the flat region. Temperature inversion traps the air pollution: one lorry at night ~ six lorries during the day. Noise propagation in valleys: Echo effect.

10. Green house gas emission The road is the bad performer

11. The Alps: a warning system Other regions are fragile as well, but Alps are a “good” indicator for problems to come elsewhere! (limited physical and environmental capacity) Modal shift of goods from road to rail is part of the solution!

12. The Alpine Initiative and the Swiss Transport Policy

13. Alpine Initiative Swiss NGO: financed by membership & donations, actively involved in European transport policy (T&E, ITE, CIPRA) Objective: Protection of the Alps from the negative effects of road freight traffic 1994: Adoption of the “Alpine-Initiative” by the Swiss population and the cantons (20 th February 1994)

17. User and polluter pays principle: Swiss HVF Supporting measures: promotion of intermodal transport, reduction of rail infrastructure charges 3 pillars of the Swiss Transport Policy Constituational obligation (Art. 84 CF) Freight Traffic Transfer Act Railway infrastructure: More capacity and productivity Alptransit (NRLA) More efficiency and quality: Railway Reform Source: Swiss federal office of transport BAV

18. Prix plus élevé pour l’utilisation de l’infrastructure routière: RPLP „ Polluter pays principle“ Heavy Vehicle Fee HVF The Swiss heavy vehicle fee

21. Switzerland : Currently, a 40-tonne truck pays about EUR 200 for a 300km journey across the country. Poland (from the 1st of July 2011 on): Not all roads included. Comparable distance of 300km is Warszawa – Krakow. According to: 96,9 km with toll, 204,0 km without. total cost 33zl ≈ EUR 8.50 Level of the fee (I)

22. Level of the fee (II) The level of the Swiss fee is high, also compared to other countries with already existing charging scheme such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia. W h y? The EU legal framework – the “Eurovignette directive” – does not allow internalization of external cost of road freight transport. Only infrastructure cost are permitted. The revision 2011 will allow parts of these costs to be integrated but not all external cost ( it still forbids to cover costs of EUR 60 billion of climate change, congestion and accidents caused by lorries). Germany Austria CH

25. AlpTransit: bigger capacity, higher productivity Alptransit (base tunnels through the A l ps)

28. The 57-km long Gotthard base tunnel opening in 2016/2017 34-km long Lötschberg base tunnel, in service since 2007.

31. R ailway reform Railway reform Integration of european railway reform O pening of the railway market

33. Objective Integrations of operations of railway system in several countries (one European market, railway packages) Improvement of technology and logistics. Reality Problems of track maintenance in Europe Rail Freight in trouble Railway is still dominated by national reality (laws, technical requirements, etc.)

37. Inspiration for Europe? « Explain our problems in Bruxelles »: Transport flows do not start and stop north and south of the A l ps and not at Polands boarders, but are european and global!

38. Alptransit Gotthard – Erstfeld Trucks control center Erstfeld A lot of information work needed

39. Risk for modal shift: longer and heavier trucks

40. Strong european alliances a nd involved citizens needed !

41. Thank you for your attention! www.alpine-initiative.ch (d, f, i, e) [email_address] Alpen-Initiative Herrengasse 2 Postfach 28 CH-6460 Altdorf Tel. +41 (0)41 870 97 81 Fax +41 (0)41 870 97 88 info@alpeninitiative.ch www.alpeninitiative.ch

43. Alpine Crossing Exchange Another instrument in the future? Quelle BAV Continuation accompanying measures (financial support of intermodal transport, controls of trucks) Swiss HVF NRLA Railway Reform

44. Alpine Crossing Exchange (I) offer and demand balanced and regulated by an exchange sensitive Alps: a limited resource, limited capacity  limited offer high demand of road crossing trips

45. Alpine Crossing Exchange (II)