Simonetta Sommaruga met delegations from neighboring countries in Locarno on Thursday for an exchange of views on the eve of the inauguration of the Monte Ceneri tunnel. She then went with her hosts to the northern entrance of the tube in Camorino (TI) for a site visit.
On her arrival at this place Thursday afternoon, the President of the Confederation was accompanied by the Italian and Austrian transport ministers, Paola de Micheli and Leonore Gewessler, the German State Secretary Michael Güntner, for the European Union, the coordinator the Rhine-Alps rail freight corridor Pawel Wojciechowki, the CEO of Alptransit Gottard SA Dieter Schwank and the director of CFF Vincent Ducrot.
Dieter Schwank and Vincent Ducrot explained to guests and the press the origin, importance and functions of the New Railway Line across the Alps (NLFA), including the Monte Ceneri railway tunnel which will be officially inaugurated on Friday and enter in operation in December is the last stop and the door to the south.
They notably recalled the particularity of this corridor between the north and the south of the Alps, which will allow a better transfer of freight traffic from road to rail and will shorten journey times between Zurich and Milan.
Simonetta Sommaruga was delighted with the completion of the Alptransit network and this new rail link, which will strengthen Ticino’s economic, social and cultural position. The Austrian and Italian ministers as well as the German Secretary of State, for their part, expressed the satisfaction of their respective countries with the realization of this project, of which they underlined the international importance.
Harmonization of rail traffic
During the conference which was held in the morning in Locarno under the direction of Simonetta Sommaruga, the participants spoke in favor of an increased encouragement of rail freight and a strengthening of the attractiveness of rail for transport international travelers. An option that includes more night trains as an alternative to air traffic.
A joint declaration adopted and signed by the delegation underlines that rail transport is important for the environment and therefore rail systems in Europe must be harmonized. The declaration was also signed, by correspondence due to the pandemic, by Liechtenstein and the other riparian states of the two Rhine-Alps and North Sea-Mediterranean freight corridors – namely France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Development of the Simplon line
Simonetta Sommaruga and Italian Minister Paola de Micheli also signed an agreement on the development of the railway line between the Simplon and Novara (I). Italy is committed to developing it by 2028 so as to allow the passage of semi-trailers 4 meters high to the major transshipment terminals in northern Italy.
Switzerland will participate in the project to the tune of 148 million francs, amount resulting from the credit allocated for the development of the access lines to the NLFA. The rest of the costs, namely 103 million, are to be borne by Italy.
/ ATS
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