Trasporti45, a barrage of criticism over the federal plan

Context

TL;DR

• Trasporti’45 envisages 50 billion by 2045
• The first package is worth 11 billion in 2027
• The railway has a shortfall of 10 billion
• The Government proposes extending the VAT surcharge

Key facts

• Plan → Trasporti’45
• Investments → around 50 billion francs by 2045
• First package → 11 billion, to be submitted to Parliament in 2027
• Second proposal → 2031
• Rail network → 10 billion short of the 24 billion needed

Around 50 billion francs for road and rail transport by 2045: that is the scale of Trasporti’45, the plan with which the Federal Council is bringing railways, motorways and urban agglomeration traffic together for the first time. The proposal was met with a barrage of criticism during the consultation process.

Political parties, associations and cantons are challenging both the financing and the choice of priorities. The project is based on an expert report by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and provides for a first package worth 11 billion, which the Federal Council intends to submit to Parliament at the beginning of 2027. A second proposal is planned for 2031.

The rail network in the project

The rail plan includes upgrading the Bienne–Lausanne/Geneva line, a direct connection between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds, and the expansion of Geneva Cornavin station. The construction of a second track and a tunnel between Morges and Perroy will instead be included in the 2031 proposal.

The government also plans to increase the frequency of services between Bern and Zurich, Bern and Lucerne, and Basel and Zurich. Work is also planned for the first phase of Lucerne’s through station and for the Grimsel Tunnel. Several opponents are nevertheless calling for the latter to be excluded from the first proposal, considering the planned funding too high.

Rail funding remains the most sensitive point: developing the network through 2045 requires 24 billion francs, and ten billion are missing. To close the gap, the Federal Council proposes retaining the temporary VAT surcharge beyond 2030, amounting to 0,1 percentage points, and allocating it to the Railway Infrastructure Fund. FFS, UTP and CTSO broadly support the project but are calling for more resources for rail. The guide to mezzi pubblici is also available for following the issue from the national mobility perspective.

Operational details

The discussion on Trasporti’45 has two concrete implications for those who live or work in Switzerland: the timing of the projects and how the railway’s funding needs will be covered. The plan looks ahead to 2045, but already divides the dossier into a first package to be presented in 2027 and a second message scheduled for 2031. Not all interventions, therefore, follow the same timetable.

For Western Switzerland, the difference is particularly visible. The Bienne-Lausanne/Geneva upgrade, the Neuchâtel-La Chaux-de-Fonds line and the expansion of Cornavin are among the selected projects. Morges-Perroy, by contrast, is placed in the 2031 message. The CTSO and OuestRail are calling for a stronger role for the east-west axis, while the Associazione traffico e ambiente maintains that the region has been overlooked and calls for Morges-Perroy to be brought forward to 2027.

The second front concerns VAT and the Railway Infrastructure Fund. PS, Verdi, PLR and Centro support extending the 0,1-point surcharge beyond 2030, but call for greater transparency regarding the fund’s accounts. UDC opposes it. UTP also proposes that repayment of the debts of the Public Transport Fund, amounting to 4 billion francs, remain suspended until 2045.

The position of the Cantons adds another condition: the DCPA and CTP support the plan in broad terms, but still consider it insufficiently mature, especially in the railway sector. To consider the issue alongside daily expenses, one can consult costo della vita in Svizzera, keeping the plan’s data separate from the requests still under discussion.

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Key points

Those who want to follow the dossier without confusing the project, financing and parliamentary decision can use a simple sequence, built around the stages indicated by the Federal Council.

Checklist for following Trasporti’45

1. Mark the timeframe. The plan concerns investments envisaged by 2045 and includes road, rail and agglomeration transport. This avoids treating each individual project as an isolated decision.

2. Divide the deadlines. The first package, worth 11 billion francs, is to be submitted to Parliament at the beginning of 2027. The second dispatch is expected in 2031. These are the two points in time to keep separate when assessing the projects.

3. Identify the affected area. For western Switzerland, the reference points are the Bienne-Lausanne/Geneva and Neuchâtel-La Chaux-de-Fonds lines, Geneva Cornavin station and the Morges-Perroy project. For the other main axes cited in the plan, it is necessary to look at the Bern-Zurich, Bern-Lucerne and Basel-Zurich connections, as well as Lucerne’s through station and the Grimsel tunnel.

4. Check which projects are contested. The Grimsel tunnel has already been approved in the project, but numerous opponents are calling for its removal from the first dispatch. Morges-Perroy is planned for 2031, while ATA is calling for it to be brought forward to 2027.

5. Read the figures and positions together. Rail needs amount to 24 billion, with a shortfall of ten. The Federal Council’s proposal is to extend the 0,1 percentage-point VAT surcharge beyond 2030; PS, the Greens, PLR and Centre support it, while the UDC opposes it. FFS, UTP, CTSO and the cantons add different requests or reservations.

This framework makes it possible to follow the transition from the consultation to Parliament without attributing to the plan decisions that still have to be examined. To link federal choices to personal budget management, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch