Railroad From Prättigau to the Lower Engadine in 18 minutes thanks to the Vereina Tunnel

With the opening of the Vereina Tunnel 25 years ago, the Lower Engadin was suddenly much closer to the Mittelland. The travel time from Zurich to Scuol was halved. The journey from Klosters in Prättigau to Susch/Lavin takes 18 minutes.

However, the project was by no means uncontroversial before the opening ceremony. In his speech at the inauguration of the tunnel on November 19, 1999, the then Minister of Transport Moritz Leuenberger spoke of a "thoroughly federal tunnel".

According to the SP minister, the structure was an expression of "friendly federal" protest, federal belief in progress, federal skepticism and hopes, a good federal compromise and ultimately the product of a typically federal policy.

The Vereina Tunnel was conceived as a winter-safe alternative to the Flüela Pass. At a good 19 kilometers in length, it is the longest metre-gauge railroad tunnel in the world.

Former Federal Councillor Leon Schlumpf is regarded as the actual "father" of the project. The Graubünden politician (SVP, later BDP) was a member of the Federal Commission for the Swiss Overall Transport Concept as a member of the Council of States in 1977, when the idea was first put forward. He later pushed the project forward as a federal councillor and transport minister.

Criticism of the "rolling road"

Construction work finally began in 1991. Some critics would have preferred an extension of the pass road. Although environmental groups did not oppose a rail tunnel, they wanted to do without the car transport system, which was often referred to as a "rolling road" at the time.

The project also triggered fears of an avalanche of traffic in the region itself: On the day the tunnel was opened, residents of Saas in Prättigau distributed flyers to guests attending the ceremony.

During the construction phase, the costs were also a constant source of discussion. In 1985, CHF 538 million was estimated for the tunnel construction, but in the end it cost around CHF 800 million. 85 percent was paid by the federal government and 15 percent by the canton of Graubünden.

Despite all the discussions, the tunnel soon became a success story for the Rhaetian Railway. In 2002, the millionth vehicle was transported on the car transporter, and by 2012, the figure had risen to five million vehicles. In 2019, more than half a million motorists used the car transport system for the first time.

SDA