The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Simplon Tunnel renovation leads to restrictions on train services

Simplon tunnel renovation leads to restrictions on train services
Simplon tunnel renovation leads to restrictions on train services Keystone-SDA

The Simplon railroad tunnel between Valais in southwest Switzerland and Italy will be renovated over the next four years. The first construction phase will begin at the beginning of February and last until the end of July. The construction work will have a particular impact on the BLS car loading timetable.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

Instead of every 1.5 hours, the car loading trains between Brig in Valais and Iselle in Italy will run every two hours, the Swiss Federal Railways and BLS said on Monday. However, the majority of RegioExpress trains between Brig and Domodossola will run every two hours. The railroad companies ask travellers to consult the online timetable.

According to the federal railways and BLS, the entire 20-kilometre length of the east tunnel of the Simplon Tunnel needs to be renovated. Parts of the vault will be repaired and the drainage will be optimised.

The work will take place over a period of six months each year from 2025 to 2028. It will be coordinated with the work in other Swiss tunnels to ensure a minimum number of passenger and freight trains through the Alps, according to the press release.

+ Swiss trains more punctual than ever in 2024

Fewer trains to Milan

Work is also being carried out on the railroad infrastructure between Domodossola and Milan in Italy. From June 8 to July 27 and from August 31 to September 12, the line between Domodossola and Milan will be completely closed to rail traffic.

As a result, all EuroCity trains between Domodossola and Milan will be cancelled. According to the federal railways, a replacement concept with buses is being developed. In addition, instead of four EuroCity trains in each direction, only three will run between Basel-Bern-Milan and Geneva-Brig-Milan during the week all year round.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Nestlé fined in Vaud - Henniez illegally filtered

More

Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water

This content was published on Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.

Read more: Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
Federal Council proposes restrictions on S status

More

Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees

This content was published on Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.

Read more: Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
6.4 million loan for the Château de Gruyères voted in Fribourg

More

Gruyères castle gets public funds for renovation

This content was published on The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.

Read more: Gruyères castle gets public funds for renovation
Increasing rental housing listings, but not placating demand

More

Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years

This content was published on For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.

Read more: Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
Child vaccination rates are stagnating in many countries

More

Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates

This content was published on Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.

Read more: Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR