Parliament releases 16.4 billion for Swiss rail operations
Published: Thursday, Dec 5th 2024, 13:10
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The federal government can spend CHF 16.4 billion on the operation and maintenance of railroad facilities in Switzerland between 2025 and 2028. Following the National Council, the Council of States has also approved this cost ceiling.
The small chamber unanimously approved the corresponding federal decree on Thursday. Compared to the current period, the Federal Council's proposal provides for an increase of around two billion francs. The approved payment framework can be financed from the federal railroad infrastructure fund.
The recently announced additional financial requirement of up to CHF 14 billion for the 2035 expansion phase of the rail network was a talking point. Damian Müller (FDP/LU) initially wanted to request that the bill be referred back to the preliminary consultation committee.
However, he withdrew the proposal after a lengthy discussion. A clear majority of the Council of States advised him that the issue at hand was the operation and maintenance of the railroad facilities, not their expansion.
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