New underground station in Geneva – the biggest rail project of the 21st century
Planning for the new Geneva-Cornavin underground station has reached a decisive stage. In a joint agreement, the Federal Office of Transport, the Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva and SBB have confirmed the final design of the project, which provides for a considerable increase in capacity and plans additional modernisation work for the existing surface station.
The definitive design for Geneva’s underground station has recently been finalised. After lengthy consultations, the partners involved – the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), the Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva and SBB – have agreed on the final details that will significantly increase capacity. The new station will include not only two additional subways for passengers, but also a two-track tunnel to the airport, a clear improvement on the initial project.
Geneva-Cornavin station, Switzerland’s third-largest railway station, plays a crucial role in daily commuter traffic, both within the country and internationally. Every day, 156,000 passengers use the station. The new underground section, which is part of the “Léman 2030” programme, will considerably improve the efficiency of transport in the Lake Geneva basin and the Geneva conurbation. The plan is to run at least three additional long-distance trains per hour and per direction, and to increase the frequency of service on the La Plaine – Geneva line to a quarter-hourly frequency.
In addition to the new transit zones, which will facilitate transit through the station and simplify access to the platforms, further studies have been carried out at the request of the sponsors. These studies have led to solutions that will increase the capacity of the existing station once the underground station is in service. A new central subway and an eastern subway along Rue des Alpes will be created. Planning for the modernisation of the existing surface platform, however, will remain a separate project at a later date.
The costs and timetable for the new underground station are still being finalised and are expected to be announced sometime in 2024, with the public tender likely to be launched in late 2027. Work on the underground station is estimated to take around nine years, with a budget of around CHF 1.9 billion, financed by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva. Entry into service is scheduled for 2038.
The partners are delighted with the progress of the planning and recognise the progress made in their cooperation. At the same time, they are aware of the many challenges that still need to be overcome to ensure the success of the project. A detailed presentation of the project is planned for the second half of 2024 to provide a detailed overview of progress and tasks ahead.