Swiss Alpine Rail Line Again in Works

Cross Switzerland in less than half an hour, by subway, and not see the Alps?

It’s a novel idea--and a good one, supporters think. They view the SWISSMETRO project as an ideal complement to the dense network of public transport.

Late in January, a new effort was begun toward realizing the idea of sending underground trains hurtling through this small country at 250 m.p.h. or more.

A company was set up in Bern, with money from industry and the government, to “develop and promote” the SWISSMETRO project and eventually seek a construction license.

Lausanne engineer Rodolphe Nieth conceived the idea in 1970 and a feasibility study, done by German experts at the Transport Ministry’s request, proved favorable. Initial results of a more comprehensive study are “of great promise and confirm the advantages of the system,” Nieth said.

He thinks Switzerland’s special topography, scarcity of land and growing concern for the environment soon will bar surface transportation projects.

For SWISSMETRO, Nieth envisages parallel tunnel tubes with a diameter of only 15 feet. Magnets would keep the trains suspended a few inches above the track and electric motors would provide power.

Electric pumps would keep air resistance in the tubes equal to what a jetliner encounters at 50,000 feet, reducing energy consumption to a fraction of that for surface “bullet” trains, Nieth said.

Magnetic suspension would keep wear to a minimum, further reducing operating costs, he said.

Transport Minister Adolf Ogi commented favorably on SWISSMETRO at an international conference and Nieth said he regularly gets requests for information from abroad, including the United States.

Proponents, who include several professors at the renowned Technical University in Lausanne, estimate it will cost $8 billion to build the initial line from Geneva, in southwestern Switzerland, to St. Gall in the northeast.

Travel time, now 257 minutes by conventional train, would be cut to 72 minutes for the 200-mile trip, including stops at Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne and Zurich.

The ultimate goal is a 425-mile network connectable to high-speed surface systems in neighboring France, Germany and Italy. It would cost an additional $10 billion to build and would cut the time from Basel, on the border with Germany, to Bellinzona, on the Italian frontier, to 27 minutes.

Completing the first Geneva-St. Gall section would take 15 years, with another 10 years needed for the rest.