Federal Council sets key parameters for transport expansion to 2045

For rail, key projects of at least CHF 10 billion are planned (including Zimmerberg Base Tunnel II, the expansion of Geneva Cornavin and Basel SBB, and the Grimsel tunnel), with a further CHF 7 billion or so to follow in 2031; the Herzstück Basel is considered unfeasible in its present form. On the roads, two A1 projects worth about CHF 1.5 billion enter the 2027 expansion step, while over 30 projects worth about CHF 18 billion are dropped; extending the VAT per mille is meant to raise about CHF 8 billion for rail by 2045.

On 28 January 2026 the Federal Council set the course for transport expansion to 2045 and instructed DETEC (UVEK) to draw up a joint consultation bill for rail, national roads and urban-transport programmes by the end of June 2026; the starting point was extra costs of about CHF 14 billion for the rail projects planned so far if no countermeasures were taken, plus a road expansion bill rejected at the ballot, and the basis is the ETH Zurich expert report (Prof. Ulrich Weidmann) that the Federal Council noted on 8 October 2025. For rail, key projects of at least CHF 10 billion are planned, including Zimmerberg Base Tunnel II, the expansion of Geneva Cornavin and Basel SBB, the first stage of the Lucerne through station and the Grimsel tunnel; further key projects of at least CHF 7 billion are to follow in 2031, while the Herzstück Basel is considered unfeasible in its present form. On the roads, the Federal Council takes two A1 projects worth about CHF 1.5 billion into the 2027 expansion step (Aarau-Ost–Birrfeld, Perly–Bernex), and over 30 projects worth about CHF 18 billion are dropped; rail is to receive about CHF 8 billion more by 2045 through an extension of the VAT per mille, and in future only projects with a completed preliminary design will enter an expansion step. (LOK Report, 9 Oct 2025 and 29 Jan 2026)