Cargo Sous Terrain (CST) is a company working to develop an underground rail network to deliver parcels in Switzerland. In a somewhat sudden turn of events, however, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) has interrupted the development of the Sectorial Plan it started a few months ago. “As soon as the outstanding issues have been clarified, work can resume”, the FOT said.
What are these issues and who is worried? The FOT made the decision of halting the Sectorial Plan together with the Cantons where the CST network would be developed (Zurich, Solothurn and Aargau) and the city of Zurich. The problems include “groundwater issues, traffic volume at hub sites, and management of tunnel excavation material”, the FOT specified.
This decision is the result of a process started in February. Back then, the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (UVEK in German), tasked CST to carry out an independent and in-depth analysis of the financing, benefits and feasibility of this initiative. Last week, UVEK reviewed the results and concluded that many conditions for underground rail freight are not met. “The current management of Cargo Sous Terrain has recognized this, and the intention is to maintain close contact”, the company said.
Cargo Sous Terrain
The idea for CST came about in 2022, when Switzerland approved a law on underground rail freight. The project 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. Some tests have already been run, and CST says it would be possible to start operations between Zurich and Härkingen in 2031.