Train travel in Switzerland hits new record high

Rail travel in Switzerland hit a new record high in the second quarter of 2025, with passengers travelling nearly 6 billion kilometres on trains in the three months between April and June. 

Passenger rail traffic in Switzerland hits new high

Passenger rail traffic rose to a new high of 5,99 billion kilometres, according to a new report from the Public Transport Information Service (Litra). That marks an increase of 8,6% compared to the first quarter of 2025, and 3,6% compared to the same period last year. It’s the highest figure recorded since quarterly rail reporting began 10 years ago. 

According to Litra, the figures underscore “the continued attractiveness of public transport in Switzerland and [demonstrate] that rail services meet the population’s growing mobility needs.”

Freight traffic facing numerous setbacks

At the same time, however, rail freight transport in Switzerland had a sluggish quarter, with the number of kilometres travelled shrinking to 3,4 percent lower than in the first quarter of the year. Compared with the same period in 2024, volumes fell by 9,5 percent. 

Litra said that freight traffic was being severely affected by capacity bottlenecks and operational restrictions, as well as a “sluggish economy in Europe” and numerous construction sites along the north-south axis. They said these problems would continue to plague freight transport for the coming years.