Lucerne: Major through station project clears important hurdle

SBB has completed the preliminary project for the Lucerne through station (DBL). The project of the century is intended to eliminate bottlenecks in the Lucerne rail hub. "The underground station and the new underground access routes will improve the accessibility and attractiveness of Central Switzerland," explains Massimo Guglielmetti, SBB Overall Project Manager for Lucerne through station.

The project, which will cost a total of CHF 3.3 billion, will be implemented in three sub-projects:

• With the Underground station A 44-meter-wide platform hall for four tracks will be built underneath the existing station.
• With the 3.8 kilometer long Three-link tunnel A direct underground line will be created from Ebikon to Lucerne, crossing under the lake basin over a length of 400 meters. An immersed tunnel is planned for this purpose: Five prefabricated elements of the tunnel tube will be lowered into the bottom of Lake Lucerne - a construction method that has never been used in Switzerland before. It has the advantage that the lake basin does not have to be drained in sections.
• With the 2.1 kilometer long New town tunnel the underground station will be connected to the existing access road.

SBB is now clarifying possible implementation sequences for the major project on behalf of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT). The results should be available by the end of 2023. A decision will then be made on the next project steps. The Federal Parliament will ultimately decide on implementation.

Areas as large as the old town are freed up

For the city of Lucerne, the DBL offers the opportunity to redesign the space around the station, make the station more accessible and improve the quality of stay.

The construction project will free up above-ground track space the size of Lucerne's old town, which is no longer needed. They can be put to new use. (ah)