ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and interprets the history of transport in general and freight transport particular in Switzerland. Transport through the Alps has a long history. Trade and transport activities bring income and wealth to the country, and they continue to do so today. The national government tries to obtain the power to regulate the infrastructures of public interest, particularly the railways, since it understands the importance of rail transport for the industrial and economic development of modern Switzerland. Switzerland has a long tradition of freight transport and transit, but the railways came late, in the middle of the 19th century. The network, by facilitating freight transport, allows the creation of many new export-oriented industries in northeast Switzerland. The post-war years see the rapid development of motorisation and road transport. The revised Railways Law of 1957, effective since 1996, describes how public authorities purchase particular categories of public services, namely freight carried by franchised companies and regional passenger transport.
