An elevated railway for Silbern and the Niderfeld

The Niderfeld development area and the Silbern district in Dietikon are now separated from each other by the SBB shunting terminal. An elevated railway should change this in the future.

The innovative project of the interest group (IG) Hochbahn Silbern, founded in May 2018, is campaigning for a transport solution high above the tracks between the Silbern districts that are relevant for Dietikon and Niderfeld, which is still under development. Because the SBB shunting terminal forms a barrier between the two parts of the city. The elevated railway would secure the direct connection between the S-Bahn station in Silbern and a station of the Limmattalbahn in Niderfeld. This would give the Silbernquartier a connection to the Limmattalbahn, and the approximately 2000 future residents and workers of the Niderfeld-Quartier could easily reach the shopping infrastructure and a possible S-Bahn station in Silbern.
Behind IG Hochbahn Silbern are representatives of the Silbern and Niderfeld areas as well as Limmatstadt AG and the city of Dietikon. The IG is chaired by Beny Ruhstaller, Association of Landowners Niderfeld Dietikon (VGND). The elevated railway is to be completed in the next 8 to 15 years. The project was classified as relevant for the Limmat Valley. That is why the Silbern elevated railway was included in the Limmattal Regional Project Show as a project worthy of funding. It is already clear what the automated cable-drawn elevated railway might look like. With its possible futuristic design, the elevated railway would not only be an attraction in the Limmat Valley, but would also offer the desired cross-connection. Cable cars have also proven themselves in other places in Switzerland. For example, the Polybahn in Zurich, the Rigiblick cable car or the Lugano light rail.

The Hochbahn Silbern has meanwhile developed from a vision to a concrete project. The feasibility was checked and classified as feasible – the route and possible stops have already been narrowed down. The route should be between 607 and 637 meters long. With a travel time of around 2 minutes, the elevated train could transport 700 to 750 people per hour. The discussions that have taken place so far with the SBB and the Garaventa cable car company, who regularly take part in the IG Hochbahn Silbern meetings, have so far been very promising. The costs are estimated at around 20 million francs. Operation should be fully automated and not require any on-site personnel.

According to IG Hochseilbahn Silbern, support from the city authorities is now required to advance the project. In addition, the elevated railway must be integrated into the Niderfeld district plan – with a possible land separation for the stations and the tracks on both sides. In the near future, the project is to be further concretized with a potential analysis and the cost planning and technical feasibility checked. This is followed by the submission to the Federal Office of Transport. ■

Text: Linda von Euw / Bilder:  IG Hochbahn Silbern