- A freight train derailed in the Gotthard base tunnel in the afternoon.
- According to the SBB, the base tunnel will therefore remain closed until midnight on next Wednesday, August 16th.
- Until then, passenger trains between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino will be diverted via the Gotthard panorama route.
This extends travel times on the north-south axis by around an hour. According to the SBB, train cancellations are also possible. Due to the diversions over the mountain route, the return holiday traffic and the Street Parade taking place at the weekend, there will be heavily occupied trains, the SBB continues to write. Standing room is to be expected.
Legend:
A first rescue train drives into the Gotthard base tunnel.
SRF
According to an SBB media spokeswoman, a freight car derailed at the multifunction point in Faido. The multifunction station is one of two emergency stops that the tunnel has. The trains can also switch from one tunnel tube to the other there. In addition, the multifunction stations contain systems for the operation and maintenance of the tunnel.
According to the SBB, what led to the derailment of the car in the tunnel is just as unknown as the exact extent of the damage. Experts will now examine the damage and check for possible damage to the roadway and catenary. The Swiss Safety Investigation Center (Sust) had been summoned. There will be more information at a media conference in Bellinzona on Friday.
“The damage is considerable,” said SBB spokeswoman Roberta Trevisan in the evening to the daily news of Italian-speaking Switzerland RSI. However, it is still too early to make an assessment and talk about possible causes. As far as passenger transport is concerned, the spokeswoman recommends travelers to find out more before driving through the Gotthard.
The Ticino canton police announced in the early evening that several wagons had derailed, some of which contained dangerous goods. However, these had not expired and would not have posed any danger. Nobody was injured. Significant damage was caused to rolling stock and infrastructure.