Trains between Italy and Switzerland, delays and opportunities on the table

Delays in work, but also the old problem of the level crossings, arsenic that needs disposing of, and finances. A wide-ranging discussion on “cross-border railways” took place on the morning of Saturday 15 March, 2014, at the Chamber of Commerce in Varese. The discussion brought back to the table questions concerning projects that are decisive for the future of rail links in the cross-border area between Italy and Switzerland, that all too often has been subject to stops and disputes.

The Arcisate-Stabio link, the extension of the Laveno-Luino line, and the Y link between the pavilions of the Milan Exhibition Centre in Rho-Pero and Malpensa Airport are the nerve centres, and the initiative, put forward by the “Associazione Italiana Linea Ferroviaria di Alta Capacità Gottardo” (the Italian Association for the Gottardo high capacity railway line), together with the Chamber of Commerce, has been a useful way to bring about discussion of their potential impact, with the socioeconomic and tourist development opportunities for the territory, which extends on both sides of the border.

After the introductory greetings by the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Renato Scapolan, the discussion was had by Giorgio Botti, the commercial territory manager of the Italian Railway Network, Milano branch, and Stefano Ardò, a delegate of the Swiss Federal Railways, Ticino Infrastructure, while Antonio Barbieri, of the Italian Association for the Gottardo High Capacity Railway Line, and Bogdan Frattini, of the “Centre for Research on Transport and Infrastructure” of the Carlo Cattaneo-LIUC University, in Castellanza, provided the infrastructure data.

The conclusions were left to Giuseppe Zamberletti, the chairman of the Italian Association for the Gottardo High Capacity Railway Line, and to Dario Galli, a special manager with Varese Province.