Federal Council plans next expansion of transport infrastructure
The Federal Council has instructed the responsible federal department to draw up a plan for the next stage in the expansion of the transport infrastructure. This is based on a report by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), which defines priority projects.
The Federal Council is preparing the next expansion of rail, road and agglomeration transport. It has instructed the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications(DETEC) to prepare a consultation draft for a first expansion phase in 2027 by the end of June 2026, the Federal Council announced in a press release. DETEC will base its work on an ETH report commissioned by the Federal Council. In this report, the university sets out which projects should be realised as a matter of urgency over the next 20 years from a technical perspective.
By the end of January 2026, DETEC is also to draw up a proposal based on the report as to which transport infrastructure projects should be implemented by 2045. Additional revenue must be generated in the railway sector. The existing financial framework will be maintained for road expansion and the agglomeration transport programme.
“The prioritisation by ETH Zurich and the subsequent political decision by the Federal Council should ensure an orderly, financially viable and holistically coordinated development of transport infrastructure by 2045,” the press release states. The Federal Council is sticking to a staggered expansion programme when determining the expansion stages. The consultation proposal for the first expansion phase in 2027 is intended to bundle all planned measures for rail, road and urban transport. At the same time as its presentation, the Federal Council intends to provide an outlook for the further expansion stages in 2031 and 2035.