Results for Environment
The battle with nature
Railways are a comparatively environmentally friendly means of transport. In the Alps, however, they come up against the forces of nature.
View eventWater replaces coal
Electrification of the Gotthard line is completed in 1924. Switzerland now gets the energy to power its trains from its own hydroelectric plants rather than coal from Prussia.
View eventEnvironmental policy turnaround
In the 1970s, people become increasingly aware of ecological concerns. Attention focuses on forest dieback and protecting the Alpine environment. The NRLA is one of the beneficiaries.
View eventRail 2000
For all the talk of the NRLA, Rail 2000 is also a big part of the story. It encouraged the drive towards a denser rail network and an expanded infrastructure.
View eventParliament backs the NRLA
Parliament’s backing for the construction of the NRLA is based on regional, environmental and European policy arguments.
View eventTunnel vision
The NRLA is architecture. A minimalist formal language pervades its every construction, even down to the barely visible tunnels.
View eventPressure from the environmental movement
The «construction project of the century» is the subject of heated debate, with politicians, administrators and environmental organisations grappling to find common solutions.
View eventSpatial planning
Transport routes change the landscape. The routing of the NRLA lines thus becomes a matter of spatial planning.
View eventYes to the Alps Initiative
The unexpected popular vote in favour of the Alps Initiative accelerates development of the NRLA.
View eventRotterdam–Genoa
Expansion of the Rotterdam–Genoa freight axis makes slow progress. Italy lags behind on sea-port links.
View eventUri’s concerns
The canton of Uri is particularly affected by construction of the Gotthard axis. It wants the approach route to the rail tunnel to run underground. Negotiations with the Confederation run far from smoothly.
View eventThe big shift
With the expansion of the NRLA, goods traffic through the Alps is progressively transferred from road to rail, though more slowly than planned.
View eventGeology and surveying
Tunnel construction depends on scientific knowledge. Geology helps to find ways through the rock.
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