Public transport sector backs expansion but seeks rail funding changes

Switzerland’s public transport sector supports the federal government’s “Transport 2045” plan but wants more money for maintenance and different priorities for rail projects, SRF reported.

The proposal would invest about 50 billion Swiss francs in road and rail infrastructure by 2045 and is currently under consultation. SBB chief executive Vincent Ducrot said transport companies supported further development of the system as traffic grows.

The sector says the financing plan needs changes. The expansion would be funded through a temporary increase in value-added tax, due to expire in 2030. The industry wants the measure made permanent, but says it would still need another source of funding. Ueli Stückelberger, director of the Association of Public Transport, also proposed suspending repayments of existing debts for now.

Those debts include costs from the NEAT project, which funded the Gotthard and Lötschberg base tunnels. Suspending repayments would leave more money for maintenance and projects selected for their benefits, the association said. It stressed that upkeep of existing infrastructure must be secured before new projects are built.

The sector also wants smaller projects to come before major ones. Stückelberger said double-track expansions could benefit passengers as early as the 2030 or 2035 timetables, while new large-scale projects would take longer. Ducrot said projects such as the Grimsel link and the second stage of the Lucerne project could be decided later, once their benefits were proven and funding secured.

The Swiss Federal Audit Office recently gave the package a very poor assessment, saying it was not sufficiently thought through. Parliament is due to consider the proposal in 2027.