Today, April 12, the federal government, the canton of Bern and the SBB (Swiss Railways) celebrated the start of construction for the Ligerz tunnel. With the new, more than two-kilometre-long structure on the southern foot of the Jura, SBB is increasing rail traffic capacities and protecting residents from rail noise. The latter also benefit from new habitat on the lake shore.

Christoph Neuhaus, member of the Canton of Bern government, Anna Barbara Remund, deputy director of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), and Peter Kummer, head of the SBB Infrastructure Division, today unveiled a view of the future western tunnel portal with a symbolic gesture on site. The speakers were satisfied that the construction of the new tunnel is now being tackled after a long history: As early as 1942, the SBB was planning the double-track expansion of the Jura-Südfusslinie, which opened in 1860. However, the project was shelved in favor of the expansion of the cantonal road in La Neuveville in 1957. After several attempts, SBB finally relaunched the project in 2013. SBB eliminates bottleneck between Neuchâtel and Biel

Between La Neuveville and Twann lies the last single-track section of the southern Jura line: a real bottleneck. Trains cannot cross here, which causes problems, especially in the event of delays. Thanks to the double-track expansion of the 4.5-kilometer single-track section and the construction of the 2.1-kilometer Ligerz tunnel, the increasing traffic on this route can be absorbed and timetable stability improved. The diversion of rail traffic through the new tunnel enables the half-hourly service in regional traffic between Neuchâtel and Biel to be increased without affecting freight traffic.

The tunnel also protects residents from the railway noise of the existing route. The existing roadway from 1861 will be dismantled, creating 31,000 square meters of new green zones, vineyard zones and zones for public use on the current railway site.
Preparatory work for the tunnel construction

Work on the double track expansion between La Neuveville and Twann with the construction of the double track tunnel near Ligerz began at the end of 2021. The track geometry is currently being adjusted in the track curve near Poudeille so that the trains can run faster. In the area of ​​the west portal, the preparatory work also includes the conversion of a factory building and earthworks (nailed wall) for the future tunnel portal. From summer 2022, work will continue with the realization of the cut-and-cover section using bored piles.

The actual tunnel construction will begin in 2023. In view of the limited space and the special geological conditions, the new double-track tunnel will be excavated using conventional blasting so that the excavated material can be reused as much as possible.

SBB is taking numerous measures to protect residents as best as possible from construction noise. For example, it erects noise protection walls with sound-absorbing panels in the main construction site areas, which protect the nearest residential buildings. In addition, SBB limits night work to an absolute minimum.

The construction work should be completed in December 2026 with the commissioning of the double track. The costs for the project, including the expansion of the Twann station, amount to around 431 million Swiss francs. The money comes from the railway infrastructure fund (BIF), which Swiss voters accepted on February 9, 2014 with the FABI proposal.

https://company.sbb.ch/de/medien/medienstelle/medienmitteilungen/detail.html/2022/4/1204-1