Zermatt accessible by train again from Monday
Published: Wednesday, Aug 21st 2024, 14:40
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Nine weeks after the storms in Valais, Zermatt will be accessible by train again from Monday. Further work on the railroad line will be carried out in the fall.
After around nine weeks of rail replacement with buses between Visp and Täsch, the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway (MGB) can resume rail operations on Monday morning. The first trains will depart from Visp at 5:30 a.m. and from Zermatt at 5:37 a.m. according to the timetable, as announced by the MGB on Wednesday.
The repair of the damage to the railroad line caused by flooding at the end of June was very challenging and time-consuming, it was reported. This was mainly due to five major areas of damage on the section between Stalden and St. Niklaus in the Mattertal valley. In addition, the large amount of meltwater this year led to consequential damage or delayed the work.
Further construction activity
From Monday, October 14 to Sunday, November 10, 2024, the sections between Visp and Täsch as well as Fiesch and Oberwald and Andermatt and Disentis will be closed on a rotational basis for extensive construction work, according to the statement. In addition to the major work on the railroad infrastructure that has been planned for some time, the planned annual interruption will be used to complete work on the flood damage sites.
According to the press release, additional protective measures are to be implemented in the Mattertal in the coming years in order to better prevent flooding in the future.
The Vispa river and its tributaries flowing through the Mattertal valley washed mud and debris onto the tracks during the floods at the end of June. Parts of the track were washed away and the foundations of bridges and viaducts were damaged. Those responsible at the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway estimated the damage at over ten million francs.
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