Railway infrastructure

Railway operations in the Gotthard and Ceneri Base Tunnels only become possible with the railway infrastructure systems. Following completion of the structural shell and infrastructure systems, installation of the railway systems is the last major phase in realisation of the NRLA Gotthard axis. In May 2010, installation of the railway systems in the Gotthard Base Tunnel began: the first section to be installed is in the west tube between Bodio and Faido. Installation of the railway systems in the Ceneri Base Tunnel will take place from 2016.

Many systems in the tunnel

The railway systems include the track, the catenary, the electric power supply, cables, telecommunication and radio systems, safety and automation systems, and control systems. Installation of the railway systems also requires extensive temporary construction-site systems such as ventilation, cooling, electric-power supply, lighting and communications. Throughout the installation period, these temporary systems must be capable of operating around the clock with a high level of reliability.

Logistical challenges

Installation of the railway systems is taking place exclusively through the two portals in the north and south. Because of the limited amount of space in the tunnel, all materials will be transported into it on the rails. The logistical basis is formed by the railway systems installations sites at Erstfeld-Rynächt and Biasca. An installations site for the Ceneri Base Tunnel will be set up at Camorino from 2015. This will accommodate assembly halls for pre-assembly of the railway system components, warehouses and storage areas, production and materials-handling halls, workshops, a concrete-production plant, a control centre to monitor construction-site traffic inside the tunnel and on the various railway sidings, as well as offices, a canteen, and residential accommodation for the workers. A major challenge when installing the railway systems is the great complexity: more than 1000 technical interfaces must be coordinated to make smooth rail traffic possible.

General contractor for railway systems

A Railway Systems General Contractor has been tasked with installing the railway systems of the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the overground sections. The Transtec Gotthard Consortium, comprising the four companies Alpiq, Alcatel-Lucent/Thales, Alpine-Bau and Balfour Beatty Rail, is responsible for installation planning, installation, and commissioning of the railway systems. The general contractor is a single-source partner to the owner, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. The work contract for the Gotthard Base Tunnel railway systems has a total value of 1.7 billion Swiss francs. This makes it one of the world's largest contracts for railway systems, and the largest work contract of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.