Zermatt rail link interrupted for weeks after severe flooding in Switzerland

Rails: Visp-Täsch section closed until mid-August Keystone-SDA

Following the recent floods in Switzerland, trains operated by Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn will not be running to the Swiss mountain resort of Zermatt until at least mid-August.

The Visp-Täsch rail link will stay closed until at least mid-August due to severe damage caused by the flooding of the Vispa river. Several sections of the railway route have been significantly affected. Replacement bus services are currently in operation.

“The situation between the region of Kalpetran and the village of St Niklaus is particularly critical,” said Egon Gsponer, Head of Infrastructure at the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, during a press conference on Wednesday. The extensive damage and the challenging access to the sites are complicating efforts to repair the tracks, thereby hindering the transportation of materials and construction machinery.

It is now impossible to provide a precise cost estimate. “However, repair expenses alone will exceed CHF10 million ($11 million),” said Fernando Lehner, CEO of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. He also said that more than a million will be required for the cost of replacement buses.

Translated from French by DeepL/sp

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