“This inauguration may seem anecdotal,” launched the president of the Vaud Council of State, Nuria Gorrite. Indeed, the small end of third way in the countryside between Founex and Coppet does not look mine. It was officially launched on Tuesday. It went into service in December 2019. “But these few hundred meters of rail provide two freight trains per hour during the day between Lausanne and Geneva,” continued the president. This translates into fewer trucks on our roads. ”
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To be precise, it is a 750-meter long passing lane built between the two pre-existing lanes. “In one of the most prosperous regions of the country, whose territory is cramped, we have to meet the needs of people, but also of goods,” noted Geneva state councilor Serge Dal Busco. This relatively modest infrastructure makes it possible to reconcile the development of freight transport and that of travelers. ”
Its completion lasted two and a half years and cost around 73 million. This project is part of the Léman 2030 program, which aims to double the number of travelers between Lausanne and Geneva. Within the framework of this program, this passing route should make it possible to develop freight transport parallel to that of travelers between the two agglomerations.
Among the most saturated axes
This rail axis is one of the most saturated sections of Switzerland. Freight trains, which run slower than passenger trains, must allow the latter to pass. This infrastructure therefore allows freight convoys to stop on this waiting track, to resume their journey once passenger trains have passed. “This way of overtaking contributes to the stability of the schedule, notes Peter Jedelhauser, director of the Léman 2030 program. And in freight transport, keeping the schedule is as important as in passenger transport.”
Freight transport has experienced strong growth in recent years. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of freight wagons increased by more than 40% on this line. They transported nearly 10,000 tonnes of freight per day. The equivalent of 740 trucks.
Created: 02/26.2020, 20h47
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