SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has confirmed that it will increase the frequency of passenger and freight services through the Gotthard Base Tunnel next month as it continues to recover from the damage to the tunnel’s western bore caused by a freight train derailment last summer, which closed the tunnel for several weeks.
From March 2 a total of 38 passenger trains will operate at weekends through the eastern bore of the tunnel, up from 31 at present. Specifically, three extra trains will run north to south on Saturday mornings and four additional south-to-north trains will run on Sunday afternoons. This will provide an extra 4300 seats at a time when demand for travel to and from the Ticino region increases.
An early morning Chiasso – Basle passenger service will also use the Gotthard Base Tunnel, reducing journey times by an hour.
Train frequencies will increase further on March 25 when services resume through the undamaged northern third of the western bore. This will enable more freight trains to transfer from the Simplon route to the Gotthard route.
SBB says this is an important development to provide the necessary capacity during the planned line closure on the Simplon route between Arona and Stresa in Italy from June 9 to September 8. Work is being undertaken here as part of a loading gauge enhancement project that will enable trains to carry 4m-high lorry semi-trailers between Domodossola and Milan.
SBB has also confirmed a significant increase in overall service frequency for passengers travelling to Ticino over the Easter weekend from March 28 to April 1, through both the base tunnel and the original line over the Gotthard Pass. A total of 49 additional trains will operate, offering an extra 49,000 seats. SBB says a large proportion of these trains will pass through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Repair work
SBB notes that repair work in the Gotthard Base Tunnel is “progressing as planned.” It says that two high-speed switches have been replaced at the Faido crossover between the two running tunnels, 17km into the tunnel. SBB also retains its earlier forecast of resuming normal operation through the tunnel in September.
A cracked wheel was identified as the cause of the freight train derailment in the tunnel on August 10 2023, which damaged track, switches and the doors that seal the connecting tunnel between the two main running tunnels at Faido.
Transalpine traffic has also been hit by the closure of the Fréjus Tunnel, the main rail border crossing between France and Italy, following a major landslide in August 2023. The tunnel is not expected to reopen until the end of this year.
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