Switzerland is anticipating an ever-increasing use of rail in future travel. It is therefore embarking on a gigantic modernisation project infrastructure along the the arc of Lake Genevathe largest project to date in French-speaking Switzerland.
This investment will primarily concern the Geneva-Lausanne axis. Passenger numbers are expected to exceed 100,000, double the current level.. But there will also be ramifications beyond Switzerland's borders, including France.
A major step forward will be the creation of an underground station at Geneva Cornavin. The station sees 800 trains...
Switzerland is anticipating an ever-increasing use of rail in future travel. It is therefore embarking on a gigantic modernisation project infrastructure along the the arc of Lake Genevathe largest project to date in French-speaking Switzerland.
This investment will primarily concern the Geneva-Lausanne axis. Passenger numbers are expected to exceed 100,000, double the current level.. But there will also be ramifications beyond Switzerland's borders, including France.
A major step forward will be the creation of an underground station at Geneva Cornavin. The station sees 800 trains a day and is now approaching saturation point. According to SBB, it is virtually impossible to add new international or national lines from Cornavin..
SBB, together with the Canton and the Confederation, is therefore working on the construction of two underground tracks reserved for trains running between Cointrin airport and LausanneThis will relieve surface traffic. Work is scheduled to start in 2025, for a commissioning by 2032. At CHF 1.7 billion, this underground station represents almost half of the total "Léman2030" budget. Details of the project will be unveiled in the autumn.
At the same time, the renovation of the Geneva airport underground station. The platforms will be raised to give better access to the trains, while the interior will be renovated to make it brighter. Work is scheduled for completion in 2022!
Lausanne, a multimodal hub
A LausanneThe current station is reaching saturation point and needs to be redeveloped. Work has just begun. The station's platforms will be extended to 420 metres. This will enable trains 400 metres long to be accommodated. offering more capacity. The station will also be the hub of new night train services to Amsterdam in 2022 and Barcelona in 2024..
Three subways instead of the current two will improve the flow of passengers to the platforms. At the same time, SBB will be transforming Lausanne station into a new multimodal hub. Trains, metro and buses, as well as urban bicycles, will connect above and below the square. New shops will also enhance the area's appeal.
Here too, patience will be required. The first rebuilt platform will come into service in 2024, the last in 2028. The multimodal interchange under the station will be inaugurated in 2030. Finally, the third metro line will connect to the station in 2031. The investment is only slightly less than that for Geneva Cornavin. At CHF 1.3 billion.
This work will also enable substantial improvements to be made to the rail links with France. Probably with more direct TGVs to Geneva and Lausanne, as well as a higher frequency on the Léman Express Coppet-Genève-Annecy route. (currently one direct train per hour). Annemasse station in France is already linked to Geneva every 10 minutes at rush hour, and since last year has had a platform reserved for the Léman Express, the first cross-border RER network.
