2023-08-20 08:37:53
At a meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Council decided to strengthen the country’s rail infrastructure further.
This is a part of the government’s far-reaching ‘RAIL Outlook 2050’ project.
What is this project and what does it seek to achieve?
Under the 2050 programme, rail services will be improved primarily on short and medium routes, for example with additional suburban rail services and upgrades to suburban stations.
“This is where the greatest transfer potential lies,” the government said in its press release on Wednesday.
What improvements are currently planned, and where?
The government plans to spend 2.6 billion francs in total on these projects:
Lausanne – Geneva route
A nine-kilometre-long tunnel between towns of Morges and Perroy in canton Vaud is planned, on the busy Lausanne-Geneva route.
“This measure will make it possible to create an avoidance route on a first section of line in the event of disruption between Lausanne and Geneva,” authorities said.
Loetschberg base tunnel
The 34.5-kilmetre railway tunnel cutting through the Bernese Alps will be double-tracked over its entire length, not just part of it.
“Additional capacities will thus be created and the stability of operations will be improved,” the government pointed out.
“This measure will also prevent a total closure of the base tunnel for eight months, with bypass traffic and negative repercussions for the population, tourism and the economy.”
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Zurich, Geneva, and Olten
The Federal Council is also planning to expand the Zurich-Stadelhofen train station, as well as to complete the development of the Geneva and Olten stations.
Grimsel tunnel
Scheduled to begin in 2027, the proposed 21-7-kilometre-long Grimsel tunnel is to be used for both rail travel and power transmission.
It will run under the Grimsel Pass, which links the Hasli Valley in the Bernese Oberland with Goms in Valais.
The tunnel will connect the Zentralbahn at the north end with the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn at the south.
In all, the government will be investing more than 27 billion francs in the development of the rail network until 2035.
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