Travelling by train from Zurich to Lugano in less than two hours? This will soon be possible again. The repair work in the western tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is progressing rapidly. “According to the current planning, the operation of the longest railway tunnel in the world will be able to resume on 2 September 2024,” announced the SBB on Thursday. As a reminder, a serious accident occurred on 10 August 2023 when a freight train derailed. The infrastructure suffered significant damage. While waiting for the repair work to be completed, the trains were diverted via the ridge line, thus extending journey times.
The former federal authority also intends to offer, for the first time, a half-hour rate in mainline traffic, between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. In addition, direct trains from Switzerland to Bologna and Genoa, Italy, will run again from September 2, as will the Eurocity Basel–Lucerne–Milan and the trinational Frankfurt–Zurich–Milan train. Please note that a testing phase will be necessary before the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) gives the final green light to reopening.
In addition, while the final report on the causes of the accident is still awaited, the Swiss Safety Investigation Service (SESE) has already established that a broken wheel body caused the derailment, the amount of damage, including loss of revenue, is estimated at 150 million francs. However, unlike several other European companies, SBB does not have wagons equipped with the axles in question. Therefore, due to the international use of the type of wheel concerned, the FOT has asked all wagon owners in Europe with similar wheels to check them and, if necessary, take them out of service.
