Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has commissioned the joint venture to build the Brüttener tunnel (Lot 240), Winterthur section (Lots 140 and 141), Dietlikon section (Lot 340) and Wallisellen section (Lot 540).
The contracts for the five lots, with a total value of CHF1.7bn (US$2.13bn), were awarded in stages over the last few months. The construction phase will take approximately 10 years to complete.
With the MehrSpur Zurich-Winterthur project the federal government and SBB plan to create a double-track railway line through the Brüttener tunnel and to expand the Dietlikon, Bassersdorf, Wallisellen and Winterthur Töss stations. It will relieve the current capacity bottleneck in the rail service between Zurich and Winterthur and provide necessary upgrades.
Key to the project is the Brüttener tunnel between Dietlikon and Winterthur, which also includes a 1km-long turn-off to Zurich Airport. Two single-track tunnel tubes with a diameter of around 10m each will be built to carry the underground rails in each direction.
Most of the tunnelling will be carried out by TBM and tunnelling is scheduled to begin in August 2029.
The Winterthur section extends from the Winterthur portal of the Brüttener tunnel to the platforms at Winterthur station; it also includes two additional sections of railway, as well as the refurbishment of Winterthur Töss station. The joint venture is also building supplementary over- and underground infrastructure, including the Neumühle railway bridge and the Storchen underpass.
The Dietlikon section includes the complete redevelopment of Dietlikon station, around 3km of new track, extensive earthworks and embankments, several underpasses and the approximately 300m-long Dietlikon tunnel. Construction for the Wallisellen section includes the Wallisellen West crossing, several new underpasses, platforms and bridges, and about 3km of new tracks.
Implenia CEO Jens Vollmar said it was an important project for Switzerland’s east-west rail connections.
“We have an excellent railway infrastructure in Switzerland. We are pleased that Implenia, working with JV partner Marti, can harness its many years of experience and extensive expertise in infrastructure construction to upgrade this important part of the network, making it fit for increasing frequencies and future requirements,” he said.
