Transport links near Italian border affected by bad weather
Heavy precipitation further aggravated the road and rail situation in Valais and Ticino. The Simplon Pass road was closed in both directions due to heavy snowfall. Trains to Milan are also affected.
The Grand St-Bernard pass was also closed on Wednesday evening as a precautionary measure. The towns of Simplon Dorf and Gondo are currently cut off from the rest of Valais, as confirmed by the Valais cantonal police at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The villages can only be reached via Italy. Several road links have been closed due to the snow, including the routes between Stalden and Saas-Grund and on to Saas-Almagell. Fallen trees and broken branches obstructed traffic in places, as the Cantonal Command Centre of Valais (KFO) announced on Thursday morning in response to an enquiry.
Due to the forecast heavy rainfall, authorities in Ticino closed the road into the Bavona Valley late Wednesday afternoon. This is a precautionary measure, according to Alertswiss, the federal warning service. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue until Thursday afternoon and, according to MeteoSwiss, is particularly affecting the western Maggia Valley, the Onsernone Valley, and the Centovalli region in Ticino.
Trains to Zermatt and Milan affected
Rail services were also severely affected. From the start of operations, the line between Visp and Zermatt was interrupted due to the storm, as the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway announced on X. Replacement buses are travelling between Visp and Täsch, while the connection to Zermatt remains suspended for the time being.
Northern Italy was also on alert on Wednesday evening due to very heavy rainfall. The Italian railways interrupted services between Domodossola and Milan because the tracks were flooded, reported the Ansa press agency.
The Eurocity rail link between Valais and Milan was also affected by the disruption, a federal railways spokesperson confirmed to Keystone-SDA. It was not possible to travel to Domodossola (Italy) from Switzerland by public transport on Wednesday evening.
Brakes on the Easter exodus
A seven-kilometer-long traffic jam formed on the north side of the Gotthard Tunnel on Wednesday afternoon. Due to congestion, a line of cars formed between Amsteg and Göschenen in the canton of Uri in the run-up to the Easter holidays.
Holidaymakers heading to Italy lost one hour and 10 minutes in traffic, the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) announced on X. On its website, the TCS recommended the alternative route via the A13 and the San Bernardino Tunnel in the run-up to the holidays.
The Federal Roads Office also expects traffic jams and major disruptions on the north-south axis starting Wednesday over the Easter holidays. The TCS forecast “very heavy traffic” at the Gotthard North Portal for five consecutive days. The Gotthard Pass road will remain closed over Easter.
Adapted from German and French by DeepL/ac
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