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Freiburg train station is being renovated. Insight into a major construction site on the most important public transport axis.
Everything is a bit narrower than usual right now. Certain areas on the platforms are hidden behind plywood panels, and here and there construction machines get in the way. One of SBB’s most important construction projects has been underway at Freiburg station for a year and a half. It is made ready for the commuter flows of the future.
Legend:
The platforms are currently narrower than they used to be.
Oliver Kempa/SRF
For many years, the population of the canton of Friborg has had one of the highest growth rates in Switzerland. As a result, there is already little space at Freiburg train station for around 30,000 passengers a day. SBB expects this number to increase to around 45,000 by the end of the decade, and even to 70,000 to 80,000 by 2040.
The train station is to be rebuilt
“In the future, more and more trains will be on the road and they will also be able to transport more and more people,” says project manager Arturo Mateo. It is not just a matter of adapting the station to today’s needs, but of ensuring that it has sufficient capacity in the long term.
Legend:
Platform, tracks, underpasses: practically everything is currently being rebuilt at Freiburg station.
Oliver Kempa/SRF
Now all the platforms in Freiburg are being widened and in some cases lengthened in order to be able to accommodate more passengers. In addition, a new pedestrian underpass is being built in the western part of the station, through which pedestrian traffic can enter and exit the station on both sides. “In this way, the flow of people is distributed more evenly across the entire station, which significantly increases capacity,” says Arturo Mateo.
According to Mateo, everything has to be very well coordinated so that the expansion can go ahead with as little impact on rail traffic as possible. Only one track can be closed and rebuilt at a time while trains are diverted to the remaining four tracks. “There are no delays in the work,” says the project manager. So far, however, it has come through without any major surprises, and the project is on schedule.
Legend:
The work is complex – and takes place day and night.
Oliver Kempa/SRF
With the opening of the new pedestrian underpass in about a year, however, the construction project is not yet complete; various other works will be carried out by 2025. However, these should only have a minor impact on traffic.