SOB Director: “Rail 2050 of the Federal Council is a fundamental mistake”
Published: Friday, Mar 8th 2024, 06:21
Updated At: Friday, Mar 8th 2024, 06:21
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Südostbahn Director Thomas Küchler sharply criticizes the government's planned rail expansion: "The Federal Council's Rail 2050 perspective is a fundamental mistake."
Küchler assessed the planned expansion of the rail system as primarily politically motivated. Only the tunnel between Lausanne and Geneva is necessary because there are "major problems" in French-speaking Switzerland. "But the other projects are all demands from the cantons," said Küchler, who was a member of the Council of States Transport Committee on behalf of the industry association. "I felt like I was in a bazaar," said the Director of Südostbahn (SOB) in an interview with the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" published on Friday.
Politicians only look at how much money is in the rail infrastructure fund "and every canton plans and expresses wishes", said Küchler. "However, every billion we spend on expansion leads to follow-up costs of CHF 30 to 40 million per year. The financial consequences of the last and next expansion steps are massive." The legally stipulated maintenance of the infrastructure must take priority over expansions. "However, the Federal Council and the administration lack the will to set limits for the cantons."
Küchler: "Damn dangerous"
The strategy approved by the National Council last week reverses the hierarchy: instead of planning from the top down, it will be planned from the bottom up. "The planning hierarchy of the Swiss public transport system begins with international transport and national long-distance transport, which serve as the backbone," said Küchler. "The Rail 2050 strategy reverses this paradigm by wanting to strengthen agglomeration transport. That is damn dangerous."
The federal government has earmarked more money for maintenance for the next four-year period. "With inflation, however, there is less money in real terms than previously planned," says Küchler. "At the same time, the federal government is holding back a reserve of one billion francs in the rail infrastructure fund for any additional expansion measures." With a view to Germany, Küchler warned against making savings on maintenance.
Küchler sees his own industry as having a duty
The SOB Director also sees his own industry as having a duty: it should increasingly question expansions that make no sense. "It is unacceptable for the federal government to be solely responsible for planning services with the cantons. The railroads must have a say again," said Küchler. And: "It would be helpful if the rail infrastructure fund could transparently show which funds are tied up in maintenance and what is available for expansion."
Last week, the National Council agreed with the Council of States when discussing changes to the 2025 and 2035 rail expansion steps. In total, the corresponding credits of CHF 2.6 billion are to be increased by CHF 350 million. The business was thus ready for the final vote. In addition to a new railroad tunnel on the Lausanne - Geneva line, the Lötschberg base tunnel is to be expanded to two tracks throughout instead of just partially. To this end, the funds are to be used, for example, for the unbundling in Pratteln BL, the expansion of Ebikon LU station and the realization of the Morgarten ring in Basel.
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