Politicians clash over Rösti’s road and rail expansion plans

Swiss politicians and transport groups have called for changes to the government’s plans to expand roads and railways by 2045, SRF reported after a debate on its Arena programme. Guests also disagreed over how to respond to high fuel prices.

Auto-Schweiz president Peter Grünenfelder called for a temporary exemption from value-added tax on fuel, saying it would quickly ease costs for people who depend on cars. SP vice-president David Roth opposed the proposal, arguing that relief should be based on need rather than fuel type. He said drivers of high-consumption vehicles would benefit more than those with economical cars.

The debate also focused on the government’s Verkehr ’45 programme, which includes road and rail projects as well as transport improvements in urban areas. Jelena Filipovic, co-president of the Swiss Transport Club, said including motorway projects rejected by voters in November 2024 was a “political affront”.

SVP parliamentarian Markus Schnyder said the vote had been against the funding package, not the individual projects, citing a post-vote survey. Grünenfelder argued that neglecting roads ignored people’s daily experience and pointed to record hours spent in traffic jams. Filipovic said speed limits during peak periods could help reduce congestion.

Roth and Filipovic called for more investment in public transport to give people who do not need a car a better alternative. Filipovic said 40 per cent of car journeys were shorter than five kilometres. Schnyder rejected efforts to steer people away from cars and warned that rail operating and maintenance costs were already being neglected.

Separately, diesel averaged 2.41 Swiss francs per litre in September, a record, according to the Swiss Touring Club. Petrol currently costs more than two francs per litre in many places, SRF reported.