A dream of a mobility that is getting closer: a breakfast of cappuccino and pastries in Locarno’s Piazza Grande before jumping on a train to Lugano just in time for the museums to open. Or dinner in Piazza della Riforma in Lugano before enjoying an evening screening at the Locarno Film Festival in Piazza Grande. A world of opportunities will open up thanks to the Ceneri Base Tunnel and the strengthening of the Locarno railway line, which will bring trains and their passengers from Locarno to Lugano in just 30 minutes. This means that while staying in the sunny region of Lake Maggiore, opportunities to discover Ticino’s traditions in its other cities will be within easier reach.
The tunnel, which will be opened with lavish official celebrations on 12 and 13 December 2020, is part of a much larger project aimed at creating a “lowland railway” through Switzerland with the goal of achieving greater freight transport capacity, reduced journey times for passenger trains and a fast regional network in Ticino. At 15.4km, the Ceneri Base Tunnel is the third largest railway project in Switzerland, after the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. It is a project that brings the cities of Ticino closer together, inviting visitors to explore this region with its Mediterranean charm, relaxed atmosphere and Latin warmth. In 2020, Monte Ceneri is also celebrating the opening of the “Via del Ceneri” story, a themed itinerary that links Monte Ceneri to Cadenazzo and highlights historically important points of interest such as the Precassino mill and the square on the pass.
2 June 2006 – work started
26 January 2016 – excavation completed
26 July 2017 – track laying started
29 August 2019 – railway technology installation completed
March 2020 – first train through the tunnel
4 September 2020 – official opening of the tunnel
12-13 December 2020 – celebrations for the tunnel’s start of operations
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