Switzerland's utopian underground cargo network is one step closer to reality with the Upper House approval;

Press release by Cargo sous terrain AGBasel,

Council of States says yes to Cargo sous terrain

With today's decision on the Federal Law on Underground Freight Transport(UGüTG), the Swiss Council of States is paving the way for the realization of Cargo sous terrain. The CST team, on behalf of all shareholders, welcomes this news and rejoicesin this crucial step towards a more innovative and sustainable logistics solution.

The Federal Law on Underground Freight Transport will provide Cargo sous terrain with the legal foundation required to implement the project within a solid and reliable framework. Just this morning,the Council of States unanimously approved the draft law,following the proposal of its preparatory commission. The law as it has been approved establishes a fair and necessary balance between the interests of the various actors involved (federal government, cantons, municipalities and landowners) and those of CST. Preparations for the building permit have already begun and, following this latest development, can go ahead as planned. Now it is the turn of the National Council, the Swiss Parliament's second chamber, to examine and vote on this law. We expect the National Council's commission deliberations to begin after the summer holidays, so that, if approved, the law can be passed by the upper chamber of the Swiss Parliament in the second half of 2021.

We could not have reached today's milestone without the invaluable support of the Federal Council, the Federal administration (with the Federal Office of Transport in the lead) and the cantons, not to mention the unfailing support of our shareholders and the tireless work of the CST team. As planned from the outset, this project will not rely on public funds; on the contrary, it will be entirely privately financed. 100 million CHF have already been secured for the planning phase and all the way up to the finalization of the building permit in 2025. In 2026, construction will begin on the first section, from Härkingen-Niederbipp to Zurich, expected to go into operation in 2031. CST guarantees emission-free and climate-neutral delivery flow and, as a sustainable and complete logistics system, it is expected to become an important part of everyday Swiss logistics.

More Information:

News on the website of the Swiss Parliament:

https://www.parlament.ch/de/services/news/Seiten/2021/20210601161057882194158159038_bsd165.aspx

Source: https://www.cst.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/210601_MM_CST_EN.pdf