Switzerland outlines long-term transport masterplan to 2045
Switzerland’s Federal Council has set the framework for a long-term national transport masterplan running through 2045, covering rail, road and agglomeration transport.
The decision was taken on 28 January. It tasks the transport ministry with preparing one combined draft package for public consultation by end-June 2026. The package brings rail, motorway capacity constraints and agglomeration projects into one federal process.
For rail, the plan sets out a staged expansion of capacity and services in three time horizons — 2030, 2035 and 2045 — and lists projects alongside indicative budgets. It also signals a rethink of Basel’s long-planned Herzstück scheme.
Rail package lists projects and indicative budgets
For the 2045 horizon, the Federal Council identifies a “key projects” package costed at at least CHF 10 billion.
The list includes major capacity works at Genève Cornavin and Basel SBB, Zimmerberg Base Tunnel II, a fourth track at Zürich Stadelhofen, the first stage of the Lucerne through station, the Grimsel tunnel, and the “Ligne directe” Neuchâtel–La Chaux-de-Fonds.
A further package of at least around CHF 7 billion is due to go to parliament in 2031, including measures such as Morges–Perroy and a second stage of the Lucerne through station.
Basel pivot: Herzstück “not deliverable” as originally planned
On Basel, the government states that the Herzstück project in its originally planned form is not deliverable within a useful timeframe or at acceptable cost.
Instead, it points to an alternative cross-city concept. This includes a deep-level Basel SBB station, with a first stage also due to be submitted in the 2031 package.
Why it matters: The package bundles rail, road and agglomeration measures into one decision process. That forces trade-offs between projects and links the rail pipeline more directly to funding decisions — starting with the consultation draft due by end-June 2026.