Financing and expansion of the rail infrastructure

Financing and expansion of the railway infrastructure ( FABI ) is a railway expansion in various stages up to 2050 Template: future / in 5 yearsin Switzerland , which includes various expansion steps, the first was the STEP expansion step 2025. The legal basis was adopted in the Federal Assembly in 2013, then it was approved in the referendum in February 2014 also presented to the electorate and clearly accepted. Since then, the planning and implementation of large rail projects has been a federal responsibility.

history

The Swiss Federal Council wanted to work out a connection solution for Bahn 2000 in 2010 ; the smaller version was estimated at CHF 12 billion , the larger at CHF 21 billion. The VCS then started the “For Public Transport” initiative, which reorganized the financing of public transport . When the initiative was submitted, it quickly became clear that the Federal Council wanted to work out a counter-proposal that went further than Bahn 2030 , the counter-proposal was called FABI. After a long discussion in the 2013 summer session, FABI was preferred over the initiative, and parliament recommended FABI to the people. Just a few weeks after the session, VCS withdrew the “For Public Transport” initiative. On February 9, the people voted in favor of the FABI federal resolution. FABI includes a new BIF fund and a STEP program . The new law came into force on January 1, 2016.

Current status - February 2019

After consultation in the transport commission, the construction of a new direct line from Neuchâtel to La Chaux-de-Fonds by means of tunnels, the extension in Leysin to the cable car station, the double lane in Rorschach and planning resources for the heart of Basel and the through station in Lucerne were rebuilt the list of the expansion step 2035 added. The deliberations in the Council of States are planned for the spring session, those in the National Council in the summer session.

October 2018

On October 31st, the Federal Council passed dispatch "AS2035" to the Federal Assembly. The smaller version of the "AS2030" with around 7 billion CHF will no longer be pursued. However, following the consultation, the Federal Council added new elements, namely the further partial expansion of the Lötschberg base tunnel, upgrading the St. Gallen station to a full node and the improvement between Basel, the southern foot of the Jura and Geneva. This also increases the total costs to 9/11. (+0.4 billion CHF). However, the two larger construction projects at the heart of Basel and through station Lucerne were not taken up. The new project of a Grimsel tunnel is also waiting.

January 2018

After the consultation on the STEP 2030 or 2035 expansion step, the statements of the cantons, parties and organizations are currently being processed. The Federal Council will then submit the dispatch to the Federal Assembly at the end of 2018. Most respondents are in favor of the STEP 2035 variant, which means that around CHF 11.5 billion would be spent on the railway infrastructure by 2035. Few cantons even advocate increasing the commitment credit by a further CHF 0.5 to 1.5 billion for other important projects.

September 2017

At the end of September, the Federal Council published the consultation for the next expansion step. Interested parties, associations or organizations can now comment on this until January. After investing in the north-south axis over the past two decades, the west-east axis is now mainly being expanded. The construction of the Brüttener Tunnel between Winterthur and Zurich and the expansion of Stadelhofen station (4th track) are planned. Measures totaling CHF 11.5 billion are planned. It is also planned that the cantons of Basel and Lucerne will be allowed to pre-finance their major projects Herzstück (BS) and Tiefbahnhof (LU) themselves.

January 2017

The Federal Council held a discussion on the expansion step 2030/35 and confirmed to DETEC that it would pursue two options for planning. These contribute to the relief of the network to different degrees and differ in terms of financing and time horizon as follows:

Variant 1 alleviates the greatest foreseeable bottlenecks in passenger traffic and brings selective quality improvements for freight traffic. This with a financial framework of 7 billion Swiss francs and a realization by 2030. The forecast increase in traffic cannot be entirely absorbed. Option 2 allows additional urgent expansions to be carried out. This with a financial framework of a maximum of 12 billion francs and a realization by 2035. The forecast traffic can thus be largely absorbed.

In addition, it became known that the consultation process for STEP 2030/35 will take place this September, and a month earlier a new special law on underground freight transport will go into consultation. The federal government will not finance that, but a new law will be needed for this major project.

October 2016

A priority list of the major rail projects was published, and it emerged that the Brüttener tunnel enjoyed the highest priority. But there is little priority for the underground station in Lucerne and the centerpiece in Basel. The individual projects will have the following priority.

1. Priority Brüttener tunnel and double-decker trains at the southern foot of the Jura

2. Priority freight traffic bypass line for Zurich (Gubristbahn tunnel) or expansion of Stadelhofen (4th track), Zimmerberg tunnel (continuation), Lötschberg tunnel (partial or full expansion)

3. Priority centerpiece in Basel, direct connection Zurich - Aarau, through station Lucerne, direct connection Neuchâtel - La Chaux-de-Fonds

June 2014

With the approval of the federal resolution by the people on February 9th (22 of 23 estates and 62.8% yes-votes), planning can continue. After the referendum period has expired unused, nothing stands in the way of it coming into force. The Federal Council must submit the expansion step 2035 to parliament by 2019. Parliament has already outlined what this program should consist of in the federal resolution on the expansion step in 2025 (Art. 1 Para. 3). In June 2014, SBB announced that long-distance trains would run on the main axes every 15 minutes from 2021.

BIF

revenue

On January 1st, 2016 the legislation for the Railway Infrastructure Fund (BIF) came into force. On the one hand, the BIF absorbs the previous fund (FinöV) and, in accordance with Article 87a paragraph 2 letter d of the Federal Constitution, is fed by the following previous and new sources (in brackets the amount in CHF million according to the 2017 budget, totaling 4,654):

2 VAT per mille, one of which is limited from 2018 to 2030
a maximum of 2/3 of the HVF revenues
9 percent of mineral oil tax revenues, limited to 2030
2.3 million francs from the general federal treasury, which were used until 2015 for the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure; the amount is adjusted annually in line with inflation and economic growth
500 million francs as a contribution from the cantons, the share of each canton is based on the number of passenger and train kilometers booked in regional traffic
2 percent of the income from direct federal tax from natural persons, corresponding to the additional income that resulted from the limitation of the travel cost deduction to 3,000 francs

expenditure

According to the Railway Infrastructure Fund Act, the fund primarily serves to finance the operation and maintenance of the existing railway network, the expansion of the railway network and research in the railway sector. By 2030, the fund must also pay interest and repay the debts previously accumulated (in the FinöV fund). A little more than a quarter of the expenditure goes towards expansion.

STEP

With STEP, the rail projects are categorized into so-called expansion steps. The first expansion step will be completed in 2025, with investments of CHF 6.4 billion. . Then there will be an expansion phase in 2035, in this second expansion phase are projects with total cost 12 to 13 billion CHF contain, including according to plan for expansion step 2025 is the following projects: Brütten tunnel , Zimmerberg tunnel , underground station Lucerne and the expansion of the train station Stadelhofen on four tracks.

Important projects

There are many important projects in STEP that are urgently needed. These are the Brüttener tunnel, Zimmerberg tunnel 2, Lucerne through station or the expansion of the Lötschberg base tunnel

Expansion step in 2025

This expansion step also includes funds for studies (e.g. Brüttener tunnel ) for future expansion steps. The expansion step in 2025 will primarily provide more capacity on the main routes (e.g. Zurich - Bern). With the first status report on the expansion step in 2025, it became clear that individual measures will be put into operation later than 2025. In the current year, all projects are now being reviewed in order to save costs.

status	Route (section)	construction time	costs	focus
Planned	Zurich – Chur	-2025	130 million	Capacity for 30 'intervals through freight train passing tracks
Planned	Lugano – Locarno (Contone – Tenero)	-2025	150 million	Capacity for 30 'cycle through double lane
Planned	Zurich – Lugano	-2025	100 million	Capacity for 30 'intervals thanks to the turning track in Lugano
Planned	Bern – Lucerne	-2025	60 million	Capacity for 30 'cycles
Planned	Bern	-2025	620 million	Capacity for more S-Bahn trains including the Holligen flyover
Planned	Basel – Liestal	-2025	490 million	Capacity for the 3rd hourly S-Bahn to Liestal through expansion of Basel Ost
Planned	Lausanne – Biel ( Ligerz tunnel )	2020-2025	390 million	Capacity for 30 'intervals and freight traffic through double lane
Planned	Geneva – Lausanne	-2025	330 million	Capacity for freight trains
Planned	Zermatt – Fiesch	-2025	20 million	Capacity for 30 'and 15' Zermatt-Täsch
Planned	Giswil / Stans – Lucerne	-2025	90 million	Capacity for 15 'cycle through dual lane islands and intersections
Planned	Rapperswil – St. Gallen	-2025	55 million	Capacity through longer trains (platform extensions)
Planned	St.Gallen – Chur	2020-2023		Double lane Trübbach – Buchs (SG) and double lane Rüthi (SG) –Oberriet, new Trübbach Fährhutten stop, dismantling of the stops in Trübbach, Weite-Wartau, Räfis-Burgerau.
Planned	Chur – Davos / St. Moritz	-2025	150 million	Capacity for 30 'cycles

Expansion step in 2035

IC network according to the STEP 2035 concept, as of January 2019

At the end of November 2014, the following important projects were submitted by the planning regions:

Zurich

The canton of Zurich, which pays the most into the BIF with CHF 117 million, also has its own planning region. The Brüttener tunnel was already included in the "Bahn 2030" package, later it was canceled in favor of the Zimmerberg base tunnel. Thanks to the acceptance by FABI, this project and the expansion of the Stadelhofen train station can start with credits for project planning. It is planned that they will be implemented in the expansion phase in 2030/2035. It is fought with investments of CHF 2.5 billion in the expansion step in 2030. The projects in AS2035 will help plan the Zurich 2G S-Bahn. Among other things, there are plans to expand the Zurich-Stadelhofen train station to four tracks. The expansion to four tracks was already an issue during the construction of today's Stadelhofen station. At that time, the cantonal council saved money with a short-term view, today the subsequent expansion costs several times the additional costs at that time. Two variants are under discussion for the track extension: The first variant is to build the track under the pedestrian underpass. The second variant would be much more expensive financially, as it provides for a new track at the side of the station, but because of the many permanent anchors that stabilize the wall of today's station against the mountain, this new track would have to be about 30-40 meters away from the current track hold. The Brüttener tunnel, which was already planned as part of Bahn 2000, was postponed in favor of the Zimmerberg base tunnel I between Thalwil and Wiedikon, although it is still urgently needed between Zurich and Winterthur. These projects were newly included in the STEP program and will be implemented by 2030. The Brüttener Tunnel will relieve Effretikon of railway noise, it would also have an advantage that the railway offer can be expanded. The tunnel would cost between 1.4 and 2.1 billion Swiss francs and be between 7 and 10 km long. The following projects are expected:

Brüttener tunnel
4. Stadelhofen track
Zimmerberg tunnel
Expand the platform (at various stations)
New stops: Dietikon Silbern, Wädenswil Riedbach
SZU: seven and a half minutes and longer trains

Central Switzerland

With the Lucerne underground station, today's station would no longer be overloaded and more rail services can be offered in the Lucerne area. With this project, there could soon be a new Intercity (IC) connection coming from Geneva and Bern into the Lucerne underground station and continuing towards Ticino, which would make a more direct route from Geneva to Ticino than there is today via Zurich .

In the 2nd stage, the underground station will be expanded into a through station and will enable the half-hourly service between Zurich and Lucerne and a new IC from Geneva to Ticino will be introduced, access from Zurich will then be guaranteed with an underground tunnel from the Rotsee. Another cheaper option would be to build a new Lucerne North station near Friedental. With the preliminary project, the variant with 2 stages is proposed. In the 1st stage the following is realized:

Double track tunnel under the Dreilindenhügel (connection to Ebikon)
Crossing under the lake
Underground station (2 platforms) under the existing tracks 8-13

Further projects in Central Switzerland

Hergiswil double lane
Ax tunnel

Northwestern Switzerland

Centerpiece: Basel Badischer Bahnhof and Basel SBB

Western Switzerland

These projects are known by name in western Switzerland:

S-Bahn FVG every 15 minutes
Neuchâtel - La Chaux-de-Fonds every quarter of an hour
RER Valais / Wallis on the Simplon axis every half hour

Eastern Switzerland

After a long break from major projects, the cantons of eastern Switzerland are calling for investments to be made in eastern Switzerland again.

New stops in Uznach: Spital and Linthpark; Pfäffikon SZ Seedamm Center and Plaza; Chur: CityWest; Davos: ice stadium; St. Moritz Bad
New rail connection Arbon – Wittenbach (–St.Gallen)
½ hour cycle Voralpenexpress St.Gallen – Rapperswil (–Pfäffikon SZ)
Obersee tram, 2nd stage
S-Bahn Chur (clean ½ hour cycle)

Ticino

Tram Bioggio - Lugano center
New stop: Bellinzona Piazza Indipendenza
New stops: Camignolo-Bironico and Torricella-Tavern
The half-hourly service between Locarno and Intragna, integrating regional connections in the Centovalli

Future expansion steps

After the expansion step in 2035, it will certainly not be long before the next expansion step is planned. Accordingly, there will be an expansion step in 2040 or 2045, which must be submitted to the federal parliament by the end of 2026. This includes the two projects Heart of Basel and Lucerne through station. In the foresight of 2045, an expansion of Winterthur is also planned, but it is not yet clear how the expansion will be implemented.

Individual evidence

↑ Federal Office of Transport: New rail infrastructure financing and further expansion. ( Memento from February 19, 2017 in the Internet Archive )

↑ admin.ch

↑ cargosousterrain.ch

^ Daniel Friedli: Advantage of Zurich - disadvantage of Basel and Lucerne. In: nzz.ch. October 16, 2016, accessed October 14, 2018 .

^ Paul Schneeberger: Sketch for long-distance traffic in 2030. In: nzz.ch. September 14, 2015, accessed October 14, 2018 .