Testing the waters for a Swiss underground cargo system
The Swiss government is considering the development of an underground transport system and has launched a proposal to see whether there is a legal basis for the project.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo,ch/ug
A private project, launched six years ago by the CST companyExternal link, foresees building a tunnel with three tubes between main logistics centres to transport goods with an digital underground cargo rail system.
The government’s proposal, announced by the transport ministry on Wednesday, will analyse whether there is support from political parties and the business community for a bill on creating such an underground system.
The 500km (310-mile) network would cost about CHF30 billion ($30 billion) and would link Geneva in western Switzerland with the eastern town of St Gallen. The network would include the cities of Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and Thun and would be be operational around the clock by 2050.
A first stretch around Zurich would be built over the next decade.
This animation shows how the project would work:
More
More
Futuristic underground cargo system
This content was published on
There are plans for a massive underground cargo transportation system to take the pressure off the roads and rail. The first part would run from logistic centres in Solothurn and Bern to the city of Zurich. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) A feasibility study presented on Tuesday revealed that just the first step in the large-scale plans would cost…
Among the main shareholders of the CST company are leading retailers, insurance and construction companies, as well as the state-owned Swiss Post and Swisscom.
The government says it will decide the next steps following a three-month consultation procedure among political parties, institutions and organisations.
Last September, the government decided in principle to examine the possibility of creating the necessary law for such an underground cargo system.
More
More
Swiss obsession with tunnels continues
This content was published on
A year has passed since Switzerland inaugurated the world’s longest railway tunnel. More underground marvels are in the pipeline.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Public transport of the future
This content was published on
Canton Valais has been chosen as the first European location to host a test stretch of the hyperloop, an experimental high-speed transportation system. The capsules will be propelled at 900 km/h in a 3km long tube under vacuum.
Are super-fast Swiss railway plans gaining momentum?
This content was published on
Businessman and creative whirlwind Elon Musk wants to revolutionise transportation with a super-fast system that sends magnetic passenger pods through a vacuum tube at the speed of sound. But the futuristic concept isn’t entirely new to Switzerland.
Switzerland to test ‘hyperloop’ train technologies
This content was published on
An industrial zone in canton Valais has been chosen as the first European site to test a high-speed "hyperloop" transport system.
This content was published on
A team from the Swiss federal institute of technology Lausanne (EPFL) has won third place in Elon Musk’s “Hyperloop Pod Competition” in California.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.