Also in the nineties, Switzerland decided to stop highway construction and start the giant rail project of the NEue Alpen-Transversale (NEw Alpine Transit-routes, NEAT). The aim is for quasi-level (no steep climbs) routes with long tunnels across the base of mountains to carry the bulk of freight transit, and also high-speed trains.
There was a vote on the NEAT. The idea with which the NEAT was sold to the Swiss people was that it will take trucks of the highways. Meaning trucks from, for example, Germany to Italy would load on to the train if the have no destination inside Switzerland. Will be interest to see if the trucks now actually move onto the train. At least the train stations for the trucks are in parts already build.
I do indeed think that increasing highway traffic, or even quotas for or a total ban of truck transit on road would be necessary for a real change. I don't think market thinking (e.g. just tweaking the price competition of transport modes) achieves anything here. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
