General

In 2006, Swiss railroads extend 4,839 km (3,007 mi). Nearly all of the railway system is electrified. Because of its geographical position, Switzerland is an international railway centre, with traffic moving from France, Germany, Austria, and northern Europe through the Simplon, Lötschberg and St. Gotthard tunnels to Italy and southern Europe.

The Swiss road network covered 71,297 km (44,302 mi) in 2003. Vehicles included 3,545,247 passenger cars, and 294,787 commercial vehicles. The longest road tunnel in the world, the 17-km (10.6-mi) St. Gotthard, in the Ticino, opened in September 1980.

Inland waterway (65 km/ 40 mi) traffic is an important component of Swiss transportation. Basel, the only river port, has direct connections to Strasbourg, the German Rhineland, the Ruhr, Rotterdam and Antwerp. The Rhine-Rhône canal provides an alternative link between Basel and Strasbourg. There are twelve navigable lakes. During World War II, the Swiss organised a merchant marine to carry Swiss imports and exports on the high seas. In 2007, 32 ships totaling 577,765 GRT were in operation. Switzerland's merchant fleet is larger than that of any other landlocked nation.

There were 65 airports in 2007, 42 with paved runways. Swiss International Air Lines is the flag line of Switzerland. It has flights from the principal international airports at Zürich, Geneva (Cointrin), and Basel to major European cities, North and South America, the Middle East, Asia, and West Africa. In 2001, 16,914,800 passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international flights, and 1,642 million freight ton-km (1,020 million freight ton-mi) of service.

Overview

Airports
65 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways
total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 23
under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Heliports
2 (2007)

Pipelines
gas 1,781 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2007)