The Gotthard base rail tunnel, damaged by a serious derailment a year ago, should be able to be fully returned to service on September 2, the SBB announced on Thursday. The material damage and loss of revenue caused amounted to 150 million francs.
The repair work in the western tube of the tunnel is “progressing as planned”, SBB Infrastructure Director Peter Kummer announced to the media. “Once the test runs have been completed, operation through the longest railway tunnel in the world (57 kilometers) will fully resume in both tubes on September 2.”
Travelers will once again be able to travel from Zurich to Lugano in less than two hours, one hour less than via the current alternative solution via the ridge line. All this, and this is new, at a half-hourly rate.
In addition, direct trains from Switzerland to Bologna and Genoa will run again from September 2, as will the Eurocity Basel-Lucerne-Milan and the trinational train Frankfurt-Zurich-Milan.
A total of 480 passenger trains and 700 freight trains will be able to pass through the tunnel per day.
The report on the causes of the accident still awaited
The SBB is still awaiting the final report from the Swiss Safety Investigation Service on the causes of the derailment of 20 freight wagons on August 10, 2023. The interim report revealed that the cause of the accident was the breakage of a wheel, itself resulting from cracks caused by wear of the metal.
Despite all the measures and corrective measures taken, “it cannot be completely ruled out that such accidents will occur again”, explained Peter Kummer and Beat Deuber, responsible for network design and technology at SBB. Only ultrasound tests carried out in the workshop can detect these cracks.
Nevertheless, and while waiting for measures to be adopted on a European scale, as this is a general problem, the SBB is taking the bull by the horns to further reduce the risks: high-resolution images for early detection of possible problems, reinforced control of trains and, more specifically and immediately, limitation of train speed to 160 km/h in the area of the two interchange diagonals of the portal before the Gotthard base tunnel.
Derailment detectors under study
The former federal authority is also studying the possibility of installing derailment detectors in the medium term on the tracks, at the interchange diagonals before the Gotthard tunnel and inside it.
The CFF reiterated that, with regard to the type of axle involved, preventive measures must be taken at European level, and that they are working in this direction. Results are expected by the end of the year.
>> See the 7:30 p.m. topic on the interruption of traffic in the Gotthard tunnel:
>> Read also: Freight train derails in Gotthard base tunnel et Gotthard Base Tunnel closed to rail traffic until Thursday
ats/boi
