Switzerland is taking concrete steps to make underground rail freight a reality. The Swiss Federal Council is now creating the basis for the development of the project, led by Cargo Sous Terrain (CST) and the first connection between Zürich and Härkingen.
The council adopted the Sectorial Plan for underground rail freight transport, a binding document which includes the route of the subterranean line and the preliminary locations of the hubs. “Further clarifications are still required before the definitive locations for the CST hubs and the landfills as well as the routing of the tunnels can be determined”, Cargo Sous Terrain said.
A preliminary map of the Cargo Sous Terrain tunnel between Zürich and Härkingen. Image: © Cargo Sous Terrain
Cargo Sous Terrain
Despite almost sounding too futuristic, the Cargo Sous Terrain project gained significant momentum over the past few years. In 2022, the Swiss Federal Council approved a law on underground freight transport. The initiative would entail a railway network running entirely below the ground, where single wagons (or pods) carrying two EUR pallets can travel autonomously at 30 km/h.
CST already ran some drilling test claims that operations between Zürich and Härkingen could start in 2031. Moreover, a study commissioned by the Canton of Bern investigated the feasibility of extending the network to the Swiss capital, Biel and Thun. “A potential network extension into the canton of Bern is important for the continuation of the CST route network toward western Switzerland”, the canton concluded back then.