Swiss Federal Railways announced that the renovation of the Simplon Tunnel, between Valais in southwest Switzerland and Italy, will be carried out over the next four years.
According to a joint statement by the Swiss Federal Railways and BLS, the first construction stage is expected to start in February and end by July this year.
BLS (Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon Railway) is a Swiss railway company that operates regional and long-distance rail services in central and western Switzerland.
The car loading trains between Brig in Valais and Iselle in Italy are planned to run every two hours, instead of 1.5 hours.
However, the majority of RegioExpress trains between Brig and Domodossola will run every two hours, as per the schedule.
According to the joint statement, the eastern tube of the Simplon tunnel needs renovation over the entire length, along with parts of the vault and drainage optimisation works.
The works are planned for every year between 2025 and 2028, coordinated with the work in other Swiss tunnels, allowing minimum passenger and freight trains through the Alps.
Swiss Federal Railways, in a statement, said: “Travellers are kindly requested to consult the online timetable. Freight transport is affected by the construction work, as the important four-metre corridor in the Simplon Tunnel is severely limited.”
The railway infrastructure in Italy, including the four-metre corridor between Domodossola and Milano, is being expanded to benefit transalpine freight traffic.
The railway line between Domodossola and Milan will be completely closed from 8 June to 27 July and from 31 August to 12 September.
All EuroCity trains between Domodossola and Milan will be cancelled, and a replacement concept with buses is being developed, said the Swiss Federal Railways.
Instead of four EuroCity trains in each direction, only three will run between Basel-Bern-Milan and Geneva-Brig-Milan during the week all year round.
Also, the ongoing maintenance works at the Simplon axis will further impact services, leading to a long-term reduction in capacity over several years.
