Federal approval sought for Lugano tram-train

LUGANO - Ponte Tresa Railway (FLP) has submitted a planning application to the Swiss Federal Transport Office (BAV) for the first phase of the Lugano tram-train project.

The first phase of the project involves building a 4km light rail line, which will branch off FLP’s existing metre-gauge line at Bioggio-Molinazzo, running through a 2.3km tunnel to reach a new underground station beneath the platforms at Lugano main line station. The line will then continue on a surface alignment to Lugano city centre.

The route will bypass the more circuitous FLP alignment to the south.

SFr 50m ($US 52m) has been allocated for the procurement of a fleet of nine 45m-long tram-trains, which will enter service on the existing line from 2019, replacing EMUs dating from 1978. The new tunnel will open in 2020.

The second phase involves the construction of a 1.9km branch running north from Bioggio-Molinazzo to Manno.

Services will operate every 15 minutes from Ponte Tresa and Manno to provide a 7.5-minute-interval service on the shared Bioggio-Molinazzo - Lugano Centre section.

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