On Wednesday, the details of how the railway company was going to make Lucerne a “through station” and eliminate bottlenecks were revealed at a press conference. The key pieces of the expansion plans – expected to cost CHF3.3 billion ($3.6 billion) – are an underground platform hall with four tracks and two new underground tunnels.
One of the tunnels – the 3.8 km long Dreilinden Tunnel – will travel 400m below Lake Lucerne. In a first for Switzerland, the construction will involve lowering five prefabricated elements of the tunnel to the bottom of the lake. This technique will help avoid the need to drain sections of the lake.
“The underground station and the new, underground access routes will improve the accessibility and attractiveness of Central Switzerland,” said project manager Massimo Guglielmetti in a press release. “Without infrastructure expansion, the further development of the railway offer in Lucerne is no longer possible.”
The project will be presented by the federal government for approval to the parliament in 2026 and is expected to take up to 13 years to complete. Lucerne rail station is used by around 100,000 passengers every day.
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Lucerne tried three times to become the Swiss capital. It nonetheless played a decisive role in the birth of Swiss democracy.
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