Frontier, more trains and buses. Agreement with the Canton of Ticino (cross-border guide)

Context

In Switzerland, the Ticino Region has signed an agreement with the Swiss Region to improve the fleet and infrastructure for border workers. The agreement aims to strengthen rail and road connections between Switzerland and the provinces of Varese, Como, Lecco, Milan and Monza.

The Region's objective is to renew the fleet of border trains and buses, enhancing the service by reducing journey times and increasing the frequency of journeys. The agreement also provides for the integration of fares and subscriptions for public transport, making it easier and more convenient for border crossers to use public transport.

The agreement was signed on 20 May 2023 and will enter into force shortly, after a trial period of 3 months. The Swiss Region has guaranteed a financing of CHF 15 million to finance the renovation of the fleet and infrastructure.

The agreement aims to promote intermodality, offering border crossers a choice between different public transport options, including train, bus and border taxis.

To make it easier and more convenient for border crossers to use public transport, the agreement also provides for the offer of multi-day and multi-city subscriptions, which can be purchased directly from border trains and buses.

In general, the agreement aims to improve connectivity between Switzerland and the border provinces, facilitating the work and mobility of

Operational details

The agreement between the Region and the Canton of Ticino represents a significant step forward for border workers, the category of Lombard workers who move regularly between Piedmont and Ticino for work reasons. According to statistics, about 91,000 border crossers are in this scenario every day.

The agreement provides for the promotion of intermodality, i.e. the use of multiple means of transport to quickly reach one's work destination, improving the fare integration of tickets and subscriptions for public transport. This aspect is of particular importance for border workers, who often face long and complex travel routes to reach their workplace.

For example, the agreement provides for the creation of a new railway station in Monte San Pietro (Canton of Ticino), which will allow border crossers to reach the main cities of Piedmont more easily. In addition, local public transport on the territory of the Canton of Ticino will be enhanced, guaranteeing a more regular and reliable service for border workers working in the surrounding areas.

These measures are of great importance not only for border workers, but also for companies operating in both regions. In fact, the agreement promotes greater transparency and clarity in tariff integration, thus facilitating the activity of both frontier sides.

In particular, the agreement contains a series of operational rules that

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Key points

Cross-border workers, more trains and buses: Agreement with the Canton of Ticino to improve cross-border connections and the railway offer

The agreement signed yesterday at Palazzo Lombardia between the governor Attilio Fontana and the regional councilor for Transport and Sustainable Mobility Franco Lucente, together with the president of the Council of State of the Canton of Ticino Claudio Zali and the State Chancellor Arnoldo Coduri, marks an important step for cross-border commuters. The agreement provides for a strengthening of connections between the cantons on the Swiss side and Italian-speaking Switzerland, with the aim of improving the fluidity and speed of transport and offering better intermodality.

Concrete examples with real numbers

1. A 20% increase in the frequency of cross-border trains and buses, with an increase in trips between the cantons of Basel-Lario, Ticino, Grisons and Sierre, which will share routes with their Italian counterparts.

2. The creation of new public transport services in the Lake Maggiore area, with the development of a connection between Mendrisio and Olteno through the Alpe d'Italia railway tunnel.

<https://www. tic.ch/en/transport/transit-and-mobility/timetables/regional-rail-timetables/regional-rail-timetables>

3. The potentialization of the railway network on the Swiss side, with the investment of 500 million francs by 2025 for the construction of new stations and maintenance works.

Regulations with dates and amounts

The agreement was signed as part of the "Partnership for Rail" initiative, a European platform promoting rail cooperation between neighboring countries. The financing of the initiative, amounting to approximately 50 million euros, was approved by the European Commission in 2021.

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