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20 minutes faster in the south: Until the opening of regular passenger trains, the railway continues to test and practice possible interruptions.
The viaduct in front of the base tunnel in Camorino.
Photo: Keystone
On Tuesday night, the Ceneri base tunnel is transferred from the constructor Alp Transit Gotthard AG (ATG) to the operator SBB. In more than 2,000 test drives, the ATG completed around 40,000 kilometers by train. The tunnel will officially open next Friday as the last element of NEAT.
“Practice, Practice, Practice” – This is SBB’s program until the time change in mid-December, as Daniel Salzmann told the media on Monday.
On the one hand, the focus is on overcoming failures during testing. On the other hand, the next three months will focus on allowing long-distance and slow-moving fast freight trains to pass through the Ceneri base tunnel at the same time, explained SBB’s North-South Hub Project Organizer Gotthard.
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As a first step, SBB would test night cargo traffic starting September 14. During this time, passenger trains would already be passing through the tunnel during the day. However, they would have to wait ten minutes in Bellinzona or Lugano so as not to spoil the current schedule.
This is followed by the next phase of trial operation. In this, on around 4,000 to 5,000 trips, “a wide variety of trains would run at different speeds,” Salzmann explained. “This phase is an important contribution to the operation of the S-Bahn in Ticino.”
In October, SBB would have to complete more “major tests” to receive approval for commissioning, ATG CEO Dieter Schwank explained.
Up to 275 kilometers per hour
The commercial operation of the tunnel will begin with the new schedule on December 13. Overall, the maintenance of the Ceneri base tunnel costs more than ten million francs a year, as noted by Daniel Salzmann.
ATG began test operations in the Ceneri base tunnel last March. After a four-week hiatus related to the coronavirus, driving tests could have continued on April 20, Schwank said. This is thanks to the Ticino authorities, who have made it possible to continue the test operation despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The most important facts and figures about the Ceneri base tunnel in a nutshell in the video.
Video: merlovideo
Deutsche Bahn trains were used to test speed, Schwank explained. They passed the new tunnel at a speed of up to 275 kilometers per hour. In June, the ATG also tested the security system, including evacuation. Before the tunnel was handed over to the SBB operator, it was completely cleaned, as images from the press conference showed.
Transport ministers meeting
Although the tunnel will officially open on September 4, delegations from the transport ministries of neighboring countries will meet in Locarno the day before at the invitation of Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga. The topics of conversation are the transport of goods by transalpine rail, international passenger trains and an environmentally friendly transport policy, explained Gregor Saladin, co-project manager of the celebrations.
On September 4 will take place the celebration of the completion of the Neat and the inauguration of the Ceneri Base Tunnel in Camorino near Bellinzona. Opening speeches will be given by Federal President Sommaruga, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Ticino District President Norman Gobbi. During the ceremony, the first freight train will pass through the Ceneri Base Tunnel.
