The Uri government is sceptical about the proposition from the Alpine Initiative regarding the renovation of the Gotthard road tunnel. The government fears disproportionate land use and negative effects caused by combined transport of road vehicels on rail.

TheGotthardroadtunnel, part of the A2motorway in Switzerland, needs renovation in the 2020’s. Depending on which option will be chosen for the renovation, the tunnel will be closed for two and a half to three and a half years. The Alpine Initiative is against the construction of a second tunnel, proposes to close the tunnel only during winter and favours combined transport of vehicles on rail. In addition, the Initiative wants a permanent driving ban for trucks in the tunnel.

The Uri government has now commented on the interpellation coming from the Alpine Initiative’s president Alf Arnold. It values the positive economic impact of a closure only during winter, but also sees serious disadvantages in the propositions of the Initiative especially regarding the permanent combined transport of trucks on rail. Facilities to load the trucks on trains would lead to more land use, increased traffic and environmental pollution for the Canton, the government states in a press release.

Furthermore, this option could have negative effects on the modal shiftfrom road to rail because transport companies could prefer this „short“ combined transportbetween Erstfeld and Biascaover a transport on rail „from border to border” as foreseen in the policy of modal shift. Therefore this option would be counterproductive tomodal shift, claims the Uri government.

Source: baublatt, 22.02.2011

http://www.baublatt.ch/news/verkehr/schwieriger-lastwagenverlad