Rösti defends federal rail expansion against Zurich's sharp criticism

Swiss Transport Minister Albert Rösti has strongly refuted sharp criticism from the canton of Zurich regarding the federal government's extensive rail expansion plans. Rösti expressed irritation that Zurich, despite significant federal investment in its rail infrastructure, is leading the charge against the proposed upgrades.

The Zurich cantonal government had previously criticized the federal government's consultation draft, arguing that the underlying expert report lacked a functional concept for rail services up to 2045. They also raised concerns that the federal council was already proposing additional, multi-billion-franc mega-projects like the Grimsel Tunnel and initial phases in Lucerne and Basel, despite tight financial resources. Zurich warned of potentially misguided decisions and stated that major projects like the Brütten Tunnel could not reach their full potential due to a lack of necessary complementary infrastructure, such as junction points or platform extensions.

However, Rösti's Department of Transport (Uvek) has pushed back against this narrative. Andreas Windlinger, spokesperson for the Federal Office of Transport (BAV), asserted that Zurich's depiction of the rail expansion as lacking essential "on-ramps and off-ramps," similar to a highway, is incorrect, particularly for the Zurich region. He pointed out that the package for the four-tracking of the Zurich-Winterthur line already includes numerous complementary measures to ensure the Brütten Tunnel's full benefit. Specific sub-projects in Wallisellen, Dietlikon, and Bassersdorf were cited as examples. Similarly, the expansion of Zurich-Stadelhofen station and double-tracking projects between Dübendorf and Meilen are already incorporated. The federal government has allocated a first tranche of 1.8 billion Swiss francs for these measures, with further funds planned for 2031. Windlinger also noted that the full implementation of the originally planned service offering could incur additional costs of up to 14 billion Swiss francs.