Executive Summary

The Federal Office of Transport (BAV) published its annual report on railway expansion on April 30, 2026. Swiss railway companies achieved significant progress in 2025: SBB commissioned the double-track expansion Grellingen–Duggingen, completed the four-track expansion in Liestal, and opened additional passing tracks for freight trains. Approximately 300 projects are currently in planning or implementation phases. The Federal Council plans a reprioritization of expansion programs based on ETH expert opinions and will submit a consultation proposal before the summer holidays.

Persons

  • Federal Office of Transport (BAV) (Authority; Reporting)

Topics

  • Railway infrastructure
  • Railway expansion in Switzerland
  • Transport policy
  • Public transport

Clarus Lead

The reprioritization of railway expansion projects signals a strategic shift: the Federal Council is responding to financial constraints and will henceforth orient itself toward scientific priorities rather than linear project sequences. The consultation proposal before the summer holidays will reveal which major projects (such as station expansions in Lausanne and Zurich Stadelhofen) will lose importance or be accelerated – with direct impacts on regional transport connections and investment cycles.

Detailed Summary

In the reporting year 2025, SBB demonstrated implementation capacity on several major projects. The double-track expansion between Grellingen and Duggingen in the Laufental enabled increased service from December onward. In Liestal, the four-track expansion was completed; the S-Bahn Basel–Liestal has since operated at quarter-hour intervals. A new passing track between Pfäffikon SZ and Altendorf enables continuous half-hourly service of the IC Zurich–Chur for freight transport.

On the major projects of the ZEB program (Future Development of Railway Infrastructure), SBB made progress: the Lausanne station expansion received main work contracts, a second pedestrian underpass was opened in Fribourg, and the BAV granted planning approval for the Brütten tunnel – the centerpiece of the four-track expansion Zurich–Winterthur. The public inquiry for the Stadelhofen expansion in Zurich was initiated.

The reorientation of railway policy is based on an ETH expert opinion and analyses by federal offices that the Federal Council decided upon on January 28, 2026. The financial reprioritization will be specified in the planned consultation proposal; the current status report does not yet reflect the reprioritization.

Key Messages

  • 300 railway projects are currently in planning or implementation in the expansion programs 2025/2035 and ZEB
  • Four-track expansion Liestal completed: S-Bahn Basel–Liestal operates at quarter-hour intervals from December 2025
  • Reprioritization planned: Federal Council will henceforth orient itself toward scientific priorities rather than previous project sequences; consultation proposal expected before summer holidays

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality: What concrete capacity increases (trains per hour, passenger seats) result from the projects completed in 2025, and how are these measured?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: How were regional interests (cantons, municipalities) incorporated into the ETH prioritization analysis, and is there a risk of disadvantaging peripheral regions?

  3. Causality/Alternatives: To what extent will the reprioritization also examine alternative financing models (public-private partnerships, user fees), or does it remain focused on federal funds?

  4. Feasibility/Risks: What implementation delays arise from the reprioritization for ongoing major projects such as the Lausanne expansion, and how will construction contracts be adjusted?

  5. Transparency: Will the prioritization criteria (cost-effectiveness, climate goals, social benefits) be publicly disclosed in the consultation proposal?

Sources

Primary Source: Status Report Railway Expansion 2025 – Federal Office of Transport

Supplementary Sources:

  1. Expansion Programs – BAV
  2. Federal Council Resolution on Reprioritization, January 28, 2026

Verification Status: ✓ 30.04.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 30.04.2026