In November 2024, 52.7% of voters rejected a federal government plan to expand key sections of Switzerland’s motorway network. Environmental issues associated with road traffic and the cost (CHF 5.3 billion) were common reasons given by those rejecting the proposal. This has left the government with no path to solve the country’s infrastructure bottlenecks. This week it announced a proposal to combine investment in roads with investment in rail infrastructure, which is also overloaded, reported RTS. In addition, Transport Minister Albert Rösti said he will get ETH Zurich to advise on the proposal in the hope that external expert advice on the matter will help to depoliticise it.
The strategy is being called Transport 45. According to Rösti, the results of the ETH Zurich analysis should be available by autumn this year.
For the 2035 railway expansion phase, parliament has already approved expenditure of CHF 16 billion. However, the expected cost has since risen by CHF 14 billion to CHF 30 billion.
The expansion of road and rail will be considered together in the future, according to Rösti. “I want to know what we need to achieve in the next 20 years in order to be able to provide a resilient, sustainable and sufficient transport system,” he said.
The transport policy environmental protection organisation actif-trafiC is critical of the minister’s new approach. It demands that no more projects for motorway expansion be examined following recent voter rejection of motorway expansion.
Once the results of the external ETH Zurich investigation are available later in the year, a consultation will be prepared by early 2026 with the aim of parliament reaching a decision on how to proceed in 2027.
In the meantime expect road traffic and crowded trains at peak times on key routes.
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