Swiss minister stresses European cooperation on railway network
Sommaruga visited a major construction site of the transalpine railway network in southern Switzerland. The Ceneri tunnel was opened in September 2020.
Keystone/Elia Bianchi
Transport Minister Simonetta Sommaruga says Switzerland plays a key role within the railway network in the European Union.
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Switzerland’s rail policy was a model for many other states, notably for passenger traffic and its strategy to move freight transport from road to rail, Sommaruga told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday.
She made her comments after attending an informal meeting of EU transport ministers in Paris earlier this week.
Sommaruga stressed that non-EU member Switzerland, which sits at the centre of Europe’s main north-south freight route, relied on cooperation with its neighbouring countries to upgrade railway infrastructure and harmonise technical standards.
She also said environmentally-friendly mobility must be part of improved working conditions for truck drivers.
Sommaruga held talks with her French counterpart Jean-Baptiste Djebbari about Switzerland’s contribution to the planned rail link between the airport of Basel/Mulhouse and the German city of Freiburg.
The airport, a few kilometers north of the Swiss city of Basel, is jointly administered by France and Switzerland.
On Thursday, Sommaruga is due to travel to Berlin for further talks with her German counterpart, according to a statement by the transport ministry.
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