COUNTRY | Switzerland
REGION | Europe
SECTOR | transport
QII Principles | Principle 1 Sustainable Growth & Development, Principle 2 Economic Efficiency, Principle 3 Environmental Considerations, Principle 4 Building Resilience, Principle 5 Social Considerations, Principle 6 Infrastructure Governance
QII Sub-Principles | 1: SDGs, 1: Wider economic benefits, 2: Life-cycle costing, 2: Operation and maintenance, 2: Technological innovation, 3: Environmental Impact Assessment, 3: Environmental Impact Mitigation, 3: Climate, 3: Emissions, 4: Resilience, 5: Job creation, 5: Universal access to services, 5: Social inclusiveness, 5: Disability, 6: Procurement transparency, 6: Policy
Overview
Cost: 22.6 Billion Swiss Francs
Size: Key rail components are three tunnels: Gotthard, 57km; Lötschberg, 34.6 km; Ceneri, 15.4 km
Parties involved (public and private):
- Based on popular vote of Swiss people on 16 December 1992
- European Economic Interest Grouping EEIG, including all railways companies of the Rhine-Alpine Corridor
- Executive Board of the Corridor Rhine-Alpine, including all Transport Ministries of the Corridor
- Swiss Counterparts: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, Serveral Swiss Cantons, Swiss, German and Italian Railway Companies, private sector for infrastructure planning, implementation and construction.
Relevant contractual details (type, length etc.)
Context
A project that that drastically cuts travel, transportation and freight times from one side of the Alps to the other along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor, one of the busiest freight routes, connecting Northern to Southern Europe.
Aim(s) of the project:
Switzerland’s contribution to the Rhine-Alpine Corridor comes in the form of the so-called New Transalpine Rail Link NEAT, including three tunnels: Gotthard (57km, opened 2016) , Lötschberg (34.6km, opened 2007), Ceneri (15.4km, inauguration planned Dec 2020), Gotthard with its 57km is the world longest rail tunnel, ever built. 260 freight trains as well as 65 passenger trains are able to pass through the Gotthard Base Tunnel every day.
Relevance to QII
Yes, though not all of the principles have been initially planned for (the project initiative 1992), today the selected principles are operationalised.
Benefits
Highlights:
Innovative Financing and Life-Cycle Cost Approach:
The Fund for the financing of public transport projects, covering project finance, operations, value preservation and expansion is served by public finance, heavy goods mineral tax, mineral oil tax and value added tax.
Expected and realised benefits Economic Benefits:
- According to studies (BakBasel) improved connectivity due to construction only of Gotthard tunnel accounts for an annual increase of 1.1 to 3.2 billions of GDP in Switzerland.
- Up to 2400 jobs over more than one decade. Potential for 4000 new jobs, through improved connectivity.
- Economic amortization (of this tunnel only) is expected to take around 10 years.
Environmental Benefits: Switzerland aims to shift an as large part as possible of freight transport through the Alps from road to rail. The NEAT represents a pivotal part for this shift. It highlights the rail sector’s central role in the future transition to integrated, smart and crucially low emission mobility. A clear turnaround can be seen regarding transport of goods on the street: between 2000 and 2018, the number of trucks on the transit routes decreased by almost 32%. For your information: power for the rail will be 100% renewable by 2025.
Social Benefits:
- 65’000 People are commuting between Italy and Switzerland very day.
- Touristic Centres in Italy are connected via rail to Northern Europe: Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome
- Strong cultural and social exchange of Canton of Ticino and Northern Italy
Metrics
Only on few principles there is continuous reporting.
Name of Institution
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs