Suddenly 140 million are short of the Glattalbahn extension
The Federal Council does not want to co-finance the railway project for the time being. This decision came as a complete surprise to the government of the Canton of Zurich.
Posted today at 4:27 PM
Lack of support from the federal government: Planned extension of the Glattalbahn in Kloten with a new viaduct where trams, cyclists and pedestrians will cross the airport motorway.
Visualization: PD / Architron GmbH
The government in Zurich is clear: the extension of the Glattalbahn to Kloten is of great importance for the airport region and the entire canton. As the transport system reaches its limits there, it is very important to get the project done quickly. That is why the construction and economic directorates reacted with consternation in a joint statement to the Bern decision revealed on Friday: The Federal Council does not want to co-finance the extension of the railway line as part of the next agglomeration program.
This is unexpected as the Federal Council approved the Glattalbahn extension and granted the infrastructure concession in April. So everything looked fine. In addition, money from Bern has always flowed reliably for previous major projects in Zurich that were just as mature – be it for the earlier stages of the Glattalbahn or for the tram via Zurich’s Hardbrücke.
But now the federal government has lowered the application for co-financing the expansion of the Kloten railroad to Priority B, which, according to the Zurich government, would delay the start of construction for at least two years – if it remained so. As part of the ongoing consultation process, the Canton of Zurich wishes to opt for the annulment of the decision.