Today, 29 June 2021, the Confederation, the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva, the City of Lausanne and the SBB gave the first pick of the project to expand and modernise Lausanne station. This true mobility hub of the twenty-first century will make it possible to respond to the doubling of train and station traffic, expected by 2030.
Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, Nuria Gorrite, President of the Council of State of the Canton of Vaud, Serge Dal Busco, President of the Council of State of the Canton of Geneva, Natacha Litzistorf, Municipal Councillor of the City of Lausanne and Vincent Ducrot, CEO SBB expressed their satisfaction at seeing the start of work on lausanne station, after many years of procedure. The platforms will be widened to enhance passenger safety and lengthened to accommodate trains 400 metres long, providing more seating. The underage crossings will be completely rebuilt.
From the current two, they will increase to three and their width will be doubled to allow a better distribution of the flows of some 200,000 users expected every day by 2030. The interfaces with the new Place de la Gare and with the Rue du Simplon will be completely redesigned. The station will be directly connected underground with the metro station m2 and m3, thus facilitating the movement of passengers. The south façade will be completely remodeled and the majestic marquise of the station will be slightly moved, but preserved.
A railway hub of national and international importance
© SBB SBB FFSThe upgrading of Lausanne, the main railway junction in French-speaking Switzerland, is essential for the proper functioning of the system at national level, from Geneva to St. Gallen. The rail network is like a jigsaw puzzle: in order to be able to improve supply, several pieces must be put together in the right place. Lausanne train station and all related projects already carried out, in progress or to come are an important piece of this puzzle.
This project, along with the planned one at the Gare de Genève, is one of the essential parts to guarantee sustainable mobility to the inhabitants of the Lake Geneva metropolis, switzerland’s second largest economic region. One of the first priorities of the construction sites related to lausanne station is to carry out the last essential elements for the improvement of the RER Vaud. From the end of 2022, four trains per hour per direction will be able to run between Cossonay and Cully. SBB and the Canton continue to think about new jumps in offers as the Lausanne work progresses.
The transformation of the station acts as a real engine of urban development and gives the City of Lausanne important opportunities to redesign public spaces and mobility around the station. The future Place de la Gare, a true emblematic heart of life, is designed to be welcoming, friendly, and vegetated. Designed for everyone’s needs, it will not fail to make the most of active mobility and public transport.
Investments in the new station amount to around CHF 1.3 billion, financed mainly by the Confederation (CHF 900 million), with the support of SBB Immobilier (CHF 250 million), the Canton of Vaud million (CHF 90 million) and the City of Lausanne (CHF 15 million).
Step-by-step improvements
The work was organized in such a way as to propose improvements to customers as this project of national importance evolves. Preparatory work has begun. Their purpose is to set up construction sites, palisades and the relocation of networks (electrical cables, water, etc.). These preparations will lead to changes in mobility around the station, such as the relocation of certain bus stops. The rue du Simplon is also closed to traffic (except for the rightful rights). These initial phases of work will not affect rail supply and traffic.
From this summer, the construction site will intensify, with the first major works, among which the destruction of the buildings of the Epinettes, then the Simplon. From the end of the year, work will ramp up on various sites. At the end of 2022, four trains per hour will run between Cully and Cossonay. According to current planning, the first redeveloped wharf will be operational in 2025. In 2029, the five new platforms will be in service, allowing 400-metre-long trains to run throughout the station. In 2030, two new understations will be completed, one of which will allow direct access to the museum platform, and the new m2 metro station, on its new route, will be in operation. By 2031, the m3 metro, which will connect the station to the Blécherette, will be in operation. From 2032, the new underpass on the east side and the entire new mobility hub will be in service.
© SBB SBB FFSChallenges that match the ambitions of the new station
Building the new Lausanne train station in the city centre while guaranteeing the transport offer and current services is a huge challenge: SBB will have to ensure a quality offer during the works (670 trains run every day between Lausanne and Geneva), while maintaining access to the station for its approximately 130,000 daily customers. They will also continue a privileged communication with the 30,000 residents of the site, by organizing many opportunities for exchanges and meetings.
The public, residents and customers interested in the project have the opportunity to freely visit a temporary exhibition on platform 5 (track 9) of Lausanne station from 30.06 to 26.09.2021. Information on the Léman 2030 projects is also available on the www.leman2030.chwebsite.
The exhibition “On the paths of the station”, which has been held around the station since June, allows the population to get acquainted with the projects of the future Station Pole.
Source: SBB press
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