In 1995 finance minister Otto Stich tells his colleagues that the costs of the NRLA will be higher than the estimated 14 billion francs. Funding it will require measures including a heavy vehicle fee. He also criticises the network option, arguing that the promised extra capacity will be impossible to exploit without an additional tunnel through the Jura. The Department of Transport, Communications and Energy points to an expert appraisal by the British consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand, which concludes that goods transport capacity would increase markedly.

« In terms of transport policy, the current construction programme makes little sense. »

Federal Councillor Otto Stich, Deliberations on the relationships between transport policy and financial policy, 29.05.1995