It has turned geographical constraints, societal factors and climate goals into a blueprint for mobility innovation that holds lessons for other nations seeking to make public transport more accessible and sustainable.<\/p>\n
A history of mobility milestones<\/p>\n
Fast-forward to a decade ago, and the Gotthard Base Tunnel<\/a> slashed travel times on this route even further. At 57.1km it is the longest and deepest rail tunnel in the world, and it allows trains to run almost twice as fast as the old tunnel.<\/p>\n Sustainable transport innovation: from solar rail to fuels made from sunlight<\/p>\n Here too, Switzerland has pedigree. For example, coal shortages in the Second World War prompted large-scale electrification of the federal rail network (SBB), which continued apace after the conflict until the last SBB steam locomotive was retired in 1967. Today, the network is almost completely electrified<\/a> and SBB trains run on 100% renewable energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are many other examples of sustainable transport innovation. In a country with a series of deep, sprawling lakes, boats are another key method of transport. On Lake Lucerne, the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company is preparing to run a historic steamship on a climate-neutral fuel made from sunlight<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the country boasts the world\u2019s first \u2018solar railway\u2019. Installed last year near the village of Buttes in western Switzerland, start-up Sun-Ways<\/a> has put solar panels in the space between train tracks that the company says could generate 2% of the country\u2019s electricity if rolled out to the entire rail network.<\/p>\n Interconnectivity at the heart of everything<\/p>\n But what has really made Swiss mobility a success is how everything links together. It is also a highly interconnected network, with trains, buses, boats and mountain railways consolidated into a single timetable-coordinated system. <\/p>\n This integrated timetabling \u2013 called the taktfahrplan<\/a>, or \u201cclock-face timetable\u201d \u2013 makes it possible to travel from a busy airport to a remote mountain village without worrying about multiple tickets or disjointed schedules. <\/p>\n All public transport operates at regular, reliable intervals and is perfectly coordinated \u2013 and it is possible to get almost anywhere using a single ticket<\/a> and a single app<\/a> to coordinate journeys. This means, for example, that you could travel in a cable car down from a remote mountain village to find your train to a major city already waiting for you.<\/p>\n This simple ticketing and more equitable access to public transport has helped build the social licence needed to get more people using public transport. As a result, the Swiss population travels the most kilometres by train per capita in Europe<\/a> each year.<\/p>\n Purpose over profit? A fundamental public service<\/p>\n Despite these challenges, the Swiss model offers lessons for other countries looking to create more integrated and sustainable networks. Strong government backing<\/a> is key to both innovation and public support. Viewing public transport as a fundamental public service \u2013 with more than 250 transport companies working together<\/a> \u2013 ensures a network that considers purpose as well as profit, with benefits for both the economy and citizens’ quality of life.<\/p>\n Bypassing siloed innovation to treat progress at a systems level that considers better timetabling, smarter vehicles and rolling stock and cleaner energy as vital to solving the same problem, Switzerland is quietly but consistently building the public transport network of the future.<\/p>\n Discover<\/p>\n How is the World Economic Forum promoting sustainable and inclusive mobility systems? <\/p>\n Show more<\/p>\n The World Economic Forum\u2019s Platform for Shaping the Future of Mobility<\/a> works across four industries: aerospace and drones; automotive and new mobility; aviation travel and tourism; and supply chain and transport. It aims to ensure that the future of mobility is safe, clean, and inclusive.<\/p>\n Through the Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition<\/a>, more than 100 companies are working together to power global aviation with 10% sustainable aviation fuel<\/a> by 2030.In collaboration with UNICEF, the Forum developed a charter with leading shipping, airlines and logistics to support COVAX in delivering more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines<\/a> to vulnerable communities worldwide.The Road Freight Zero Project<\/a> and P4G-Getting to Zero Coalition<\/a> have led to outcomes<\/a> demonstrating the rationale, costs and opportunities for accelerating the transition to zero emission freight.The Medicine from the Sky initiative is using drones to deliver vaccines<\/a> and medicine to remote areas in India, completing over 300 successful trials.The Forum\u2019s Target True Zero<\/a> initiative is working to accelerate the deployment and scaling of zero emission aviation, leveraging electric and hydrogen flight technologies.In collaboration with the City of Los Angeles, Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA, the Forum developed the Principles of the Urban Sky<\/a> to help adopt Urban Air Mobility in cities worldwide.The Forum led the development of the Space Sustainability Rating<\/a> to incentivize and promote a more safe and sustainable approach to space mission management and debris mitigation in orbit.The Circular Cars Initiative is informing the automotive circularity policy agenda, following the endorsement from European Commission<\/a> and Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council<\/a> countries, and is now invited to support China\u2019s policy roadmap.The Moving India<\/a> network is working with policymakers to advance electric vehicle manufacturing policies, ignite adoption of zero emission road freight vehicles, and finance the transition.The Urban Mobility Scorecards initiative<\/a> \u2013 led by the Forum\u2019s Global New Mobility Coalition<\/a> \u2013 is bringing together mobility operators and cities to benchmark the transition to sustainable urban mobility systems. <\/p>\n![\"Switzerland](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/deuRiaWKsgaBOp1K2SWorsxeYYef7GI91jnFGO2ggGo.jpeg\")
<\/a>Switzerland is a consistent top performer in the Forum’s Energy Transition Index.<\/p>\n