FOT Director: Underground trains and streetcars have too low a priority
Published: Thursday, Apr 11th 2024, 05:20
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According to the outgoing director of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), Switzerland is too well served by suburban railroads. The financing of streetcar lines or subway railroads by the federal government must be examined politically, said FOT Director Peter Füglistaler in an interview.
In an interview with the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" published on Thursday, Füglistaler said that the construction of new streetcar lines or subway railroads was not given enough priority in this country.
It should be examined whether the federal government could also finance larger streetcar tunnels or subway railroads entirely via the rail infrastructure. "That would allow for more open thinking," said Füglistaler.
An S-Bahn needs a certain distance, speed and capacity in order to play to its strengths. "By building additional stops, we are going in the opposite direction," said the FOT Director.
Implementation of major projects in stages
In the interview, Füglistaler also curbed the cantons' expectations for the next expansion projects in public transport. "We will have money for the first stages of major projects, but never to the extent that there are ideas and wishes," he said. There is no doubt that public transport needs to be expanded in Basel and Lucerne. "However, I am skeptical as to whether the perfect solution that is being considered now is always necessary." That is why we are looking for stages.
Füglistaler will retire at the end of July. He will then hand over his role in the further development of public transport and freight transport in Switzerland to Christa Hostettler.
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