Swiss Railways to replace tracks in Gotthard Tunnel earlier than planned
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Swiss Railways to replace tracks in Gotthard Tunnel earlier than planned
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will have to replace all 228 kilometres of track in the Gotthard Base Tunnel earlier than originally expected due to the heavy load. The replacement is scheduled to take place between 2032 and 2034. A total closure is not planned.
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The rails in the Gotthard Base Tunnel were originally expected to have a service life of around 20 years, SBB said on Sunday in response to an enquiry from Keystone-SDA. They now reckon with 16 years. This was first reported by the SonntagsBlick newspaper.
According to SBB, the number of trains is now greater than was assumed at the time. Among other things, reference is made to the half-hourly frequency introduced with the last timetable change.
SBB currently assumes that the tracks will be replaced between 2032 and 2034. The replacement of the rails is planned as part of normal, scheduled maintenance windows.
No details are given on the cost of the work. According to SonntagsBlick, these are likely to be in the two to three-digit million range. The railway company is currently looking for concepts from companies that are capable of carrying out the project.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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