Some operators see it as a missed opportunity, while others point to its limited ambitions, although realistically there may be little scope for expecting much more. What is clear is that the proposals drawn up by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in response to the government consultation on the ‘Transport 45’ plan fall well short of the significant change many had hoped for. After all, the federal document is intended to set out infrastructure investment priorities for the coming decades and should therefore provide an opportunity for bolder decisions.
Between 2027 and 2031, SBB believes the overriding priority should be the operation, maintenance and renewal of the existing network, amounting to little more than preserving the current situation. The next priority would be investment in projects designed to provide additional capacity and improve service levels. But a closer examination reveals the limitations of this approach, which effectively concentrates attention and resources on a single objective: meeting projected passenger demand in 2035, particularly on the Central Plateau and in the Zurich region, with services every 15 minutes between Zurich and Bern and every half-hour between Lucerne and Bern. Nobody can dispute the need to improve services in this vital part of Switzerland, but the Confederation consists of more than its economically powerful central cantons.
The railways' vision for infrastructure investment follows much the same pattern. Apart from the completion of the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel, which by its nature is intended to accommodate different types of traffic, attention is focused entirely on increasing station capacity in places such as Basel, Zurich and Lucerne, once again with passenger services taking precedence. The summaries provided in SBB's press releases make no mention of measures specifically aimed at freight traffic, let alone the need to complete major routes such as the north–south corridors, including the transalpine connections.
The plan submitted by SBB to the Federal Council has already attracted considerable criticism. And the concerns extend beyond gaps in infrastructure planning to the entire financial framework. The reasons are worth examining. The federal government intends to finance projects under the ‘Transport 45’ programme by extending the existing arrangement that allocates a token 0.1% of VAT revenue to the Railway Infrastructure Fund, which is due to expire in 2030. However, extending the measure will require a constitutional amendment and therefore a mandatory referendum, with all the associated uncertainties. Despite the cancellation of numerous smaller projects to reduce funding requirements by around €3 billion, financing for the operation and maintenance of the existing network is guaranteed only until the end of 2028. Beyond that date, Parliament will have to intervene again. According to the Swiss Public Transport Association (Verband öffentlicher Verkehr), VAT contributions alone will not be sufficient to finance both infrastructure maintenance and new projects to increase network capacity. More substantial and far-reaching measures will therefore be needed, including action on the public debt incurred in building the major base tunnels already completed, with repayment to be suspended until 2045.
On infrastructure policy, the Pro Gottardo-Ferrovia d’Europa association has renewed its call for a long-term strategy that moves beyond a purely cantonal perspective and incorporates international connections. The organisation refers to this as the ‘federal cross of mobility’: a network that does not focus exclusively on the main east–west axis but also includes the north–south corridor. In particular, completion of the international transit route must not be overlooked, including the access lines south of the Alps associated with the transalpine railway programme known as AlpTransit, which encompasses the Gotthard, Lötschberg and Ceneri base tunnels.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
