On 15 May 2022, the will run under Avenue d’Echallens in a new tunnel linking Union-Prilly and Lausanne-Chauderon stations. The president of the Vaud Council of State, Nuria Gorrite, the Lausanne municipal Florence Germond and the syndic of Prilly, Alain Gillièron announced this next commissioning this morning. This is the end of a major five-year project. The structure, which accompanies the evolution of the line towards a real RER, will help to secure surface travel while making the line’s schedule more reliable.
The tunnel project is led by the Canton and the works are managed by the Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl) on behalf of the company. Funding is provided by the Canton and the Confederation, recognising the importance of making the railway infrastructure of a train that has linked Gros-de-Vaud to the centre of Lausanne more efficient for nearly 150 years. With a pace of 15 minutes and ever longer convoys, it was no longer possible for the to circulate on the Avenue d’Echallens. Cohabitation with car traffic, cyclists and pedestrians was no longer an option.
At the end of five years of construction, punctuated by surprises and difficulties, such as the discovery of 19th century tombs, sulfur fumes, a harder than expected rock and the pandemic, the resumption of train traffic between Prilly and Lausanne in the new tunnel is announced as of Sunday, May 15, 2022. Until then, all staff (train engineers, regulators, maintenance teams) will be trained. The tl will carry out the test phases to test the robustness of the installations and the performance of the future commercial offer. The safety, evacuation of passengers and management of an incident will be tested during a rescue exercise in partnership with the DIAM General Staff (Guidelines for the commitment of assistance in the event of a major accident) of the City of Lausanne.
An essential cantonal project for Vaud mobility
The construction of the tunnel is a milestone in the important infrastructure, fleet and supply development plan aimed at improving a line used each year by some three million people. Major investments are planned in the coming years: modernization and expansion of the fleet, development of infrastructure, strengthening of safety, improvement of passenger information systems, rehabilitation of stations and extension of platforms, construction of a new depot. The 10-minute cadence is planned for 2035. All these developments will contribute to making the a new line of the RER Vaud and to offering a quality offer, in line with the growing demand. They will consolidate this essential link in the transport chain between Gros-de-Vaud and the Lausanne region thanks to its connections to other modes of transport in its main stations, particularly in Le Flon. The tunnel, from 15 May, will already save two minutes of travel time, making it possible to make the schedule more reliable and to preserve capacities to improve the offer in the future.
Finally, the underground installation of the is an opportunity for the Avenue d’Echallens where the tracks will be dismantled. The City of Lausanne will thus be able to convert this utility-cent axis, 70% of which is now dedicated to rail and road, into a quality public space, reconciling in a balanced way the functions of mobility axis, place of life and centrality of district. This large-scale project will be carried out gradually between 2022 and 2027.
270,000 tons of molasse excavated, 9,000 meters of rails laid
Since the green light from the Federal Office of Transport in June 2017, it has taken five years to complete the new 1.7 km underground route and extract nearly 270,000 tonnes of materials; then to lay the railway infrastructure and connect it to the existing tunnel between Chauderon and the Flon. At the same time, this section has undergone a complete replacement of the tracks and safety installations, requiring a significant commitment of the teams mobilized on this particularly complex underground site.
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