immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Öffentlicher Verkehr

  • Zurich cantonal parliament approves runway extension

    Zurich cantonal parliament approves runway extension

    Flughafen Zürich AG wants to extend Runway 28 by 400 metres to the west and Runway 32 by 280 metres to the north. With this project, the airport wants to implement the conclusions of the 2012 safety review of Zurich Airport(SÜFZ) by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation. The extension of the runways is intended to increase the stability of air traffic in all weather conditions and for all types of aircraft.

    According to a press release, the Zurich Cantonal Council approved the extension on 28 August with a narrow majority of 87 to 83 votes, with two abstentions. The SVP, FDP, Mitte and EVP voted in favour of the proposal, while the other parties rejected it.

    Zurich Airport is pleased with the decision, as it writes in a statement. The longer runways would increase braking distances and reduce crossing points on the ground and in the air. More stable operations would reduce the number of delays as well as those affected by aircraft noise. “There are no alternative measures in flight operations that would bring the same improvements in terms of safety and reduction of delays,” the statement says. The number of flight movements, on the other hand, would remain the same.

    The Zurich Chamber of Commerce(ZHK) also welcomes the decision of the cantonal council. “Zurich Airport is of great economic importance for the greater Zurich area and for the entire country,” it writes in a statement. “To ensure Zurich’s international connectivity with the world in the long term, the airport must be able to adapt to changing circumstances.” ZHK Director Regine Sauter had already campaigned in advance for approval by the cantonal parliament. “The runway extensions bring multiple benefits: Residents benefit from more peace and quiet at night, and Zurich as a business location can count on a punctual airport and reliable connections to the world in the long term,” she is now quoted as saying in the ZHK release.

    The cantonal council’s decision is subject to an optional referendum, so the electorate is likely to have the final say. Only then can the airport submit an application for planning permission to the federal government.

  • New development to reduce railway noise

    New development to reduce railway noise

    Researchers from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research ( Empa ), the University of Economics and Engineering of the Canton of Vaud and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne ( EPFL ) have jointly developed new rail pads. These components are mostly made of elastic plastic and are stuck between rails and concrete sleepers, as Empa explains in a press release . They are used to protect rails.

    However, existing rail pads have limitations. Especially if the protection of the rails is greatly increased, this leads to more noise pollution at the same time. The researchers now want to solve this challenge. After several tests in the laboratory, a part with more than 50 percent polyisobutylene (PIB) content, embedded in a shell made of a harder ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) plastic, proved to be the most effective option. At the same time, it can reduce railway noise and protect the rails.

    In a next step, the new rail pads are to be tested on a railway line in Nottwil in March. “These rail pads are easy to make. We will need almost 400 units for the 100-metre stretch,” explains Bart van Damme from Empa’s Acoustics and Noise Reduction department. That is why a company is already on board that will take over the manufacture of the components that have already been patented.

  • Implenia is building a railway line in northern Italy

    Implenia is building a railway line in northern Italy

    Implenia AG and the Italian construction company Webuild have been awarded the contract to plan and build a high-performance railway line between Fortezza and Ponte Gardena in northern Italy. The construction and real estate service provider based in Dietlikon is developing and realizing 49 percent of the project on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana SpA , the owner of the Italian railway network, according to a media release .

    Webuild's project share is 51 percent. The order has a total volume of 1.07 billion euros.

    The 22.5-kilometer route connects to the Brenner railway tunnel on the Italian side of the Alps. The largely underground expansion should enable faster connections and higher capacities between Munich and Verona in the future. The passenger and freight trains should be able to travel much faster on the new route. So far, they have been relatively slow on the road due to inclines, the press release said.

    In addition to improving mobility and modernizing the infrastructure in northern Italy, the funds made available also serve to create jobs. According to a press release, the project will directly and indirectly create around 15,000 new jobs in the coming years.

    "Implenia is proud to be planning and building such an important part of the future European rail network," Christian Späth, head of the civil engineering department at Implenia, is quoted in the Medienmitteling.

  • Swiss train stations perform moderately

    Swiss train stations perform moderately

    Of 50 train stations in Europe that were examined, the train stations in Bern and Zurich performed moderately to poorly in terms of passenger-friendliness. According to a press release, Bern train station landed in 40th place in the European Railway Index 2021, while Zurich train station was in 21st place.

    The consumer protection group Consumer Choice Center , based in Washington, has examined in its index, among other things, the shopping experience, the accessibility, the WLAN network, the number of national and international destinations as well as the choice of travel providers.

    The main train station in Bern, for example, has toilets for wheelchair users, but with six shops and eight restaurants only a very limited range of options for eating and shopping. The Zurich main station offers more than 53 shops and 39 restaurants, but does not provide barrier-free toilets for wheelchair users.

    Leipzig Central Station performed best in front of Vienna Central Station and St. Pancras in London. According to a media release, the train station in the German state of Saxony offers most domestic destinations, many shops and restaurants, and several railway companies.

  • Domat / Ems station area is being converted

    Domat / Ems station area is being converted

    The Rhaetian Railway (RhB ) wrote in a press release that the Domat / Ems station area is getting "a new face". According to her, the Graubünden railway company will renew the Domat / Ems station and make it accessible for the disabled. "We are building a modern train station that is adapted to the needs of our customers and to those of the community," RhB director Renato Fasciati is quoted in the announcement.

    Specifically, the RhB wants to extend both platforms at the station and partially cover them. In addition, a pedestrian underpass is to be built and equipped with handicapped-accessible ramps and stairs. The municipality of Domat / Ems contributes two passenger lifts. In addition, the RhB plans to equip sidewalks and streets with a continuous separation at the three secured level crossings.

    At the same time, the municipality of Domat / Ems is tackling extensive changes in the station area. The heart of the building plans is a new commercial and residential building directly on the platform. The four-storey building will have space for public use on the ground floor and living and office space on the other three floors, according to the announcement. In addition, a new space is planned on the south side of the station. The number of bicycle parking spaces available at the station will be increased to around 300. All construction work planned by the municipality and the railway company should be completed in summer 2023.

    "Good transport links are central to the community of Domat / Ems – for the numerous commuters, but also as an important commercial and industrial location," said Mayor Erich Kohler (CVP) in the message. "The overall project creates a modern, functional train station area that optimally meets high requirements for user-friendliness and audience-oriented uses."

  • Public transport should expand photovoltaics

    Public transport should expand photovoltaics

    Photovoltaics offers all public transport companies the opportunity to take a large part of their energy supply into their own hands. A new guide from the Federal Office of Transport refers to this. The authority developed it together with the Swiss Association for Solar Energy, Swissolar .

    As Swissolar writes in a summary of this guide, solar energy can make a decisive contribution to replacing non-renewable energies in public transport. The electricity consumption of all transport companies is currently around 2.7 terawatt hours. In addition, there are 120 million liters of diesel. If all public transport is to be operated in a CO2-neutral manner in the future, it will need around 3.5 terawatt hours of electricity. Of this, 2 terawatt hours, or 60 percent, would already be produced by the hydropower plants of the SBB .

    The production of the remaining 1.5 terawatt hours with solar energy would require around 1 square meter of photovoltaic module area per inhabitant in Switzerland. The same area per inhabitant provides the energy required to transport a person 2,500 kilometers by train in one year. As the Federal Office of Energy states in its energeia plus magazine, the potential for solar power in the Swiss transport company's building stock is 67 terawatt hours per year. That exceeds the total current Swiss electricity consumption by 10 percent.

    The guide advises small and large transport companies on investment opportunities and approval procedures for real estate, rail technology and infrastructure. He also goes into funding opportunities and personal consumption. It also provides specific official recommendations that support public transport in becoming climate-neutral.