With the news that the fire torn St Gotthard road tunnel in Switzerland was to re-open last month after only two months closure, it seems the wheels of legislation have already been set in motion regarding the future of freight transport across Europe. At the end of November, European transport ministers assembled in Zurich to discuss the regulation of commercial traffic across the Alps. The meeting, convened by Swiss president Moritz Lueunberger, resulted in a unanimous agreement that the shift of heavy freight from road to rail across Europe be made a priority. Loyola de Palacio, transport commissioner for the EU, painted the grim picture of a complete transport collapse by 2010 if the predicted 38% increase in goods transport across the EU was not largely met by rail networks. But disturbingly yet unsurprisingly, he added that financing the shift would be the one major ‘sticking point’ in the process.
With the probability of more fatal tragedies occurring in overused road tunnels (the subsequent closure of which costing millions), and considering the financial ramifications of a grid-locked freight transport network across Europe in 10 years, this so called ‘sticking point’ seems a false economy on a grand scale.
The dilema of road network saturation isn’t likely to go away and the burying of government heads in sand with complaints of crippling project costs won’t build new freight transport corridors. There seem two obvious options, firstly, business as usual with the likelyhood of a complete future breakdown of crammed road links, or secondly, find a method of investment now to design, construct and ultimately provide a safe transport system to take us through the next century.
Ironically, Switzerland has led the way for some years in its bid to clear its roads by transferring freight to rail. As early as 1992 the Swiss voted to move all freight passing through their country onto rail. The country has certainly put its money where its mouth is and levied huge finances from a combination of public resources to fund the AlpTransit high speed freight rail scheme. With Switzerland recognising its shortcomings and more importantly, acting upon them, isn’t it time for other European governments to follow its lead? With the time scale of constructing these huge infrastructure projects running into decades, it’s a case of act now or pay later, although by then, who knows, it may be too late.
