Brüttener tunnel can go ahead Federal government approves rail expansion between Zurich and Winterthur

The Federal Office of Transport has approved the expansion of the Zurich-Winterthur railroad line to four tracks. The centerpiece is the nine-kilometre-long Brüttener Tunnel. Initial work could start in 2026.

Keystone-SDA

14.10.2025, 10:12

14.10.2025, 10:14

SDA

The Federal Office of Transport has approved the expansion of the Zurich-Winterthur railroad line to four tracks. The centerpiece is the nine-kilometre Brüttener Tunnel. Initial work could start in 2026.

However, the planning approval can still be contested before the Federal Administrative Court, as announced by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) on Tuesday. Over 200 objections to the project were received, most of which have been resolved, according to the FOT.

If there are no delays, commissioning is planned for 2037. The new connection will cost around 3.3 billion Swiss francs. Parliament already approved the capacity increase in 2019, which is why it was not affected by the recently presented "Traffic '45" review, as the FOT writes.

The expansion should enable shorter travel times for long-distance traffic. There should also be more connections for regional traffic.