Rail needs mega money

A Vaud state councillor is demanding billions of francs for major train upgrades across the canton and beyond as she says at the current rates, the train network will be suffocated within ten years.

Nuria Gorrite says it will take around CHF 20bn.

She’s calling for new lines, many new tunnels and an express line between Lausanne and Geneva.

She adds increased train capacity will also cut down the need of short haul flights. She points out that Lausanne is a strategic stop for services to Lyon, Paris and Milan.

In the meantime, the current renovation at Lausanne train station is delayed yet again. Swiss Federal Railways say the problem is down to engineering miscalculations. It now won’t be finished until 2037.

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