If the public inquiry opens on Wednesday until December 19, the start of construction is not expected before 2027-2028. We will then have to wait until 2036-2037, “if all goes well”, for the work to be completed, Lausanne municipal councilor Natacha Litzistorf told the press on Tuesday.
She recalled that the development of the square and its adjacent streets constituted “one of the pieces of the puzzle” of the vast station site. She added that it was closely linked to the work on the underground of the square, which depends on the CFF schedule.
Even if we will have to be patient, Lausanne residents and visitors can already plan for the future Place de la Gare. The square will be completely renewed with the creation of two “tiered” esplanades, separated by a central alley.
The City of Lausanne promises the installation of “generous street furniture” and “rich arborization” with the planting of 70 trees. Buses will once again benefit from stops directly on the square. Cars will still be able to circulate, but their speed will be limited to 30 km/h and certain access points (notably on Avenue William-Fraisse) will be prohibited.
Yield Here To Peds
The square will be 75% dedicated to pedestrians, compared to 35% today. “We are reversing the current situation and giving priority to active mobility,” summarized the project manager, Romain Latapie.
Around ten access points – stairs, ramps, elevators, escalators – will connect the surface to the station basement. This will also be directly connected to a new cycle station as well as to the Epinettes (under construction) and Rasude (to be built) car parks.
Avenues Louis-Ruchonnet and de la Gare will also be redesigned with, in particular, widened sidewalks and secure cycle paths. The City also plans to plant 118 new trees along these two avenues.
Natacha Litzistorf spoke of “a new way of using the station”. This is based on a 40% reduction in individual motorized traffic, thanks in particular to the development of metros (m2 and future m3) and the construction of the tram.
Concerning cars, the municipality noted the need to reduce transit traffic at the station and to “capture motorists upstream”, i.e. to send them to car parks depending on their place of entry into the city.
Budget: 29 million in total
In terms of costs, the budget for the development of Place de la Gare amounts to 16 million francs. It is financed according to the following distribution: Confederation 46%, CFF Immobilier 12.3%, Canton 32.2%, City 9.5%. For the related streets, the budget reaches 13 million. It is 100% funded by the City.
Finally, note that the City is organizing a public information session this Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts. The file can be consulted on the website www.lausanne.ch/placedelagare as well as at the reception of the Housing, Environment and Architecture Department.
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