This video catalogues numerous large-scale Swiss underground engineering projects, asserting the country's preeminence in tunnel construction. It covers a range of initiatives including building new transit corridors, renovating century-old tunnels, expanding capacity on existing routes, and constructing novel urban infrastructure like underground train stations and massive flood-control systems. The central themes are the immense technical difficulty of working in the Alpine geology, the high financial cost, and the long-term strategic goals of improving safety, increasing capacity, and future-proofing critical infrastructure.
Major Swiss Underground Construction Projects
0:50 Gotthard Road Tunnel: A second, 17 km road tunnel is being constructed for 2.14 billion Swiss francs. The purpose is to allow for the renovation of the existing tunnel and ultimately create two single-direction tubes by 2033 to improve safety.
2:40 Lötschberg Base Tunnel: A project to fully double-track the existing rail tunnel, eliminating a 14 km single-track bottleneck. The cost is 1.7 billion Swiss francs, and the work is being done while the tunnel remains operational, with completion expected by 2034.
4:29 Simplon Tunnel: The eastern tube of this railway tunnel from 1906 is undergoing a complete renovation for 180 million Swiss francs to address age-related degradation. The project is expected to finish in 2028.
6:24 San Bernardino Tunnel: A comprehensive renovation of the 1967 road tunnel costing 350 million Swiss francs. All work is conducted at night to avoid disrupting daytime traffic, focusing on upgrading drainage, concrete, and safety systems.
8:10 Bällchentunnel: To renovate the two original 1970s road tunnels, a third tube was first constructed to handle diverted traffic. The old tubes are now being renovated for 500 million Swiss francs, with completion scheduled for 2035.
9:50 Neue Axenstrasse: A dangerous lakeside road is being replaced by a new route primarily consisting of two new tunnels (4.4 km and 2.9 km). The project costs 1.55 billion Swiss francs and is intended to create a much safer connection by 2034.
11:13 Kehrensberg Tunnel: A 5.8 km safety tunnel is being added alongside the existing 1980s road tunnel to modernize its emergency escape routes before the main tube itself is renovated.
12:30 Future Station Bern: A new, four-track train station is being built 17 meters directly underneath the existing Bern main station to handle sharply increasing passenger numbers. This 1.2 billion Swiss franc project is a complete underground expansion.
14:48 Zurich Flood Relief Tunnel: A 2 km long, 6-meter diameter tunnel is being built under Zurich to divert potential floodwaters from the Siel river, protecting the city's main train station from a catastrophic event.
17:08 Ligerz Tunnel: A scenic but hazardous section of railway along Lake Biel is being rerouted into a new 2.1 km tunnel. This increases safety and speed for the rail network but means the village of Ligerz will lose its train station.