TRIESTE – The transport of lorries by rail along the Brenner corridor is losing ground: in 2025 volumes fell again, while Innsbruck is calling for higher road tolls to make rail more competitive.
The so-called Rollende Landstraße (RoLa), the system that allows trucks to cross the Alps loaded onto trains, is failing to take off. According to Austrian press reports, 2025 saw a decrease of around 1,000 vehicles, with a total of 102,000 trucks carried by rail along the Brenner axis.
The comparison with the past points to a structural decline: in 2010, 245,000 lorries were loaded onto trains, more than twice current levels. The figure highlights the difficulties facing a tool designed to reduce Alpine road traffic and emissions.
The system continues to be supported by public subsidies, amounting to around 100 euros per truck transported. Despite this, volumes remain far from the estimated potential, which according to Austrian sources could reach up to 318,000 vehicles a year.
From an economic standpoint, the picture also remains critical for rail operators. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group closed 2025 with losses of 136 million euros, a sign of the still fragile balance in the combined transport segment.
A clear position is coming from Tyrol. Transport councillor René Zumtobel points out that road haulage remains too competitive compared with rail. For this reason, he is calling for a significant increase in motorway tolls in Italy and Germany, considered necessary to shift freight flows towards rail.
