Passenger traffic Good connections, quicker travel For travellers, the NRLA through the Gotthard is a quantum leap. Zurich and Bellinzona come within commuting distance and the journey time to Milan is cut to under three hours.
The newly constructed Gotthard route will make rail travel competitive with road and air. This will benefit more than 20 million people in the catchment area between southern Germany and northern Italy.
Better connections for commuters and day tourists Based on the railway hubs of Zurich and Milan, the national and cross-border timetables are coordinated. Passenger trains will travel on the north-south axis at hourly intervals, on weekends and times of intense traffic even at half-
hourly intervals. With constantly higher passenger numbers, a general intensification of the timetable to half-hourly intervals is possible without restricting the capacity for goods traffic.
High speeds of up to 250 km/h The new Gotthard route is a high-speed rail link. Passenger trains can traverse the almost 60 kilometres length of the new route at maximum speeds of up to 250 km/h. This is made possible by the straight route with no tight curves and no level crossings on the overground sections. The infrastructure will allow
future travel times to be achieved of around one and a half hours from Zurich to the Ticino, and less than three hours from Zurich to Milan. However, this also depends on adaptations to the approach routes and expansions of the network, as well as the rolling stock that will then be used.
The New Rail Link through the Alps benefits travellers
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