Luino-Switzerland line: Action adheres to Lombardy moves (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• Azione joins the 'Lombardia si muove' protest
• Mobilization is scheduled for Saturday, September 26
• Focus on the Luino-Switzerland line
• Signature collection regarding the status of works

Key Facts

• When → Saturday, September 26
• Participants → Azione, commuters' committees, and political representatives
• Location → Lombardy stations
• Investment → approximately 120 million euros
• Section → approximately 15 kilometers on Italian territory
• S30 Frequency → from two per hour to 4 daily trips
• Speed → 30 km/h
• Stations → Luino and Maccagno

On Saturday, September 26, Azione will join the 'Lombardia si muove' protest, a cross-party and itinerant initiative bringing together commuters' committees and political representatives across Lombardy's stations. The demand is clear: greater efficiency in rail connections, just as work and school activities resume after the summer and commuters once again face chronic delays, cancelled trains, and prolonged waits.

For those departing from the north of the Varese province to reach Switzerland for work, the mobilization highlights a strategic section for the connection with Swiss territory. Azione considers the line between Luino and Switzerland, part of the Alptransit and Rhine-Alpine corridors, to be strategic yet neglected. Alongside the presence at the stations, the initiative includes a signature collection to demand an account of the progress of the works directly from the Minister of Transport.

The Luino-Magadino Connection

The press release refers to the international agreement between the two countries, under which Switzerland funded the redevelopment of the Luino-Magadino line with approximately 120 million euros. This involves about 15 kilometers on Italian territory, intended for both freight and passenger traffic. This economic figure is contrasted with the current operational conditions denounced by Azione.

The press release summarizes the contrast with one phrase:

«Despite this massive investment, the situation on the ground is paradoxical».

The S30 suburban trains between Luino and Cadenzazzo, described as useful for short distances and strategic for accessing Gotthard passenger services, have gone from two per hour to just four daily trips. The Italian section, the press release adds, is traveled at 30 kilometers per hour.

The indicated consequences directly affect commuters from Pino, Maccagno, Colmegna, and Luino. Those traveling for work must resort to alternative means to find reliable connections to Milan or Switzerland, thereby increasing the isolation of mountain areas. Furthermore, at the Luino and Maccagno stations, out-of-order elevators, broken information displays, a lack of platform shelters, broken glass, and insufficient, obsolete, damaged, or incorrect signage are reported.

For Azione, this scenario does not represent the calling card of a province that, through the claim 'Land of Tourism', aims to attract visitors and enhance the territory. Participation in 'Lombardia si muove' thus becomes a denunciation of the critical state of the connection between the north of the Varese province, Milan, and Switzerland.

Operational details

The comparison between two trains per hour and four daily trips makes the difficulty for those commuting for work concrete. For a cross-border worker departing from Pino, Maccagno, Colmegna, or Luino, the S30 is described as suitable for short distances and strategic for reaching the Gotthard passenger services. However, the reduction indicated by Azione restricts travel possibilities and pushes users toward alternative means to find reliable connections with Milan or Switzerland.

A problem that starts at the station

Taken together, the data outline three areas: availability of trips, speed of the Italian section, and station conditions. For the commuter, the hardship arises from the sum of these factors, not from a single element.

The first practical effect is reduced flexibility. Four daily trips, compared to two every hour, leave fewer opportunities to organize work-related travel; the press release links this exact situation to the need to resort to alternative means to find reliability. The line is not presented as marginal: it is included in the Alptransit and Rhine-Alpine corridors and is defined as strategic. The contrast between function and service is therefore the center of the criticism.

The second effect concerns the travel time. The figure of 30 km/h, defined as 'snail's pace', adds to the reduced frequency. For the worker, the result described by Azione is a connection that does not provide the efficiency expected by commuters.

The station also enters the daily evaluation: out-of-order elevators, broken displays, missing shelters, broken glass, and insufficient, obsolete, damaged, or incorrect signage are all critical issues reported for Luino and Maccagno. For those crossing the border for work, the journey also includes access and information. To navigate mobility alternatives, the Ticino public transport service is available.

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Key points

To transform the reported hardship into a public request, the path indicated by the press release can be followed in four steps. Stay within the perimeter of the mobilization: join the picket, pay attention to the Luino-Switzerland line, and support the signature collection.

Four steps to participate

1. Mark the date: Saturday, September 26. This is the day when Azione will join the itinerant initiative of 'Lombardia si muove'.

2. Locate the mobilization in Lombardy stations, following the itinerant nature of the initiative. The picket brings together commuter committees and political representatives.

3. Join the signature collection promoted during the initiative. The goal is to demand an account of the progress of the works directly from the Minister of Transport.

4. Bring focus to the Luino-Switzerland route and the indicated conditions: S30 service, speed of the Italian section, connections for those departing from Pino, Maccagno, Colmegna, and Luino, and the state of the Luino and Maccagno stations.

These steps allow the cross-border worker to distinguish railway data from political evaluation. The mobilization does not generically ask for more attention: according to the press release, it aims to clarify why multi-million investments announced every year and hundreds of new trains purchased with public money have not avoided the critical issues of the local and regional service.

For those departing from the north of the province of Varese for work, the question to support is concrete: how can the Swiss-funded redevelopment be reconciled with a connection described as slow, infrequent, and marked by problems in the stations? The signature collection is the indicated tool to request an answer on the state of the works, without adding requests different from those of the source.

The commuter's contribution can remain linked to their own travel experience: the place of departure, the need to reach Milan or Switzerland, and the use of alternative means are the elements already mentioned in the press release. Before organizing the trip to the initiative, the worker can consult Ticino public transport to compare mobility options.

Participation remains anchored to Saturday, September 26, the signature collection, and the request regarding the state of the works. To continue navigating commuter travel options, consult Ticino public transport.

Source: varesenews.it