Bellinzona railway station
Encyclopedia
Bellinzona railway station serves the city of Bellinzona
, near the southern end of the Gotthardbahn
, in the Canton
of Ticino
, Switzerland
. It is also the largest railway junction
in Ticino.
– Chiasso
line, and its Bellinzona – Locarno
line. In 1882, upon the opening of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel
, and the related commencement of services on the line from Airolo to Biasca, Bellinzona was connected with the north, and with German Switzerland.
In 2008, the SBB Cargo
facility at Bellinzona hit the headlines, when its workers went on strike
, after SBB Cargo had prescribed rigorous reduction measures for the site.
With the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel
in 2017, travel times between Bellinzona and German Switzerland will fall by about one hour.
There are also transit and overtaking tracks for goods trains.
(TiLo), which operates the three lines of the Ticino S-Bahn.
– Bellinzona – Lugano – Chiasso – Milano Centrale (six times daily) Zürich HB – Zug – Arth-Goldau – Bellinzona – Lugano (– Chiasso) (every second hour, three train pairs to/from Chiasso) Basel SBB – Olten
– Luzern
– Arth-Goldau – Bellinzona – Lugano (every two hours) Zürich HB – Zug – Arth-Goldau – Schwyz – Brunnen
– Göschenen
– Bellinzona – Locarno
(every two hours) Basel SBB – Olten – Luzern – Arth-Goldau – Schwyz – Brunnen – Göschenen – Bellinzona – Locarno
In addition, several bus lines operated by various companies link the station forecourt with nearby destinations.
.
Initial plans were to replace the present Bellinzona and Lugano railway stations with a new station, to be named Ticino South, as part of the Ceneri Base Tunnel
construction project. The new station would have been situated in Camorino
, at the intersection of the Gotthard axis of the new AlpTransit
line and the old Gotthardbahn.
However, in May 2007 the SBB-CFF-FFS dissociated itself from those plans, and indicated support for the continued stopping of long-distance trains in the city centres of Bellinzona and Lugano.
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
, near the southern end of the Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn was the name of a private Swiss railway company which operated the railway line from Immensee to Chiasso . Nowadays this term usually does not refer to that company, but to the railway line itself...
, in the Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It is also the largest railway junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
in Ticino.
History
The station was opened in 1874, as part of the opening of the Ticino valley railway, with its Biasca – Bellinzona – LuganoLugano railway station
Lugano railway station is a station owned and operated by the Swiss Federal Railways. It serves the city of Lugano, near the southern end of the Gotthardbahn, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland....
– Chiasso
Chiasso railway station
Chiasso railway station is a station owned by the Swiss Federal Railways . It serves the city of Chiasso, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, and is also a border station between Switzerland and Italy....
line, and its Bellinzona – Locarno
Locarno railway station
Locarno railway station serves the city of Locarno, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. However, the station is located within the adjacent municipality of Muralto, near the shore of Lake Maggiore...
line. In 1882, upon the opening of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel
Gotthard Rail Tunnel
The Gotthard Rail Tunnel, is a 15-kilometre long railway tunnel and forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Gotthard massif...
, and the related commencement of services on the line from Airolo to Biasca, Bellinzona was connected with the north, and with German Switzerland.
In 2008, the SBB Cargo
SBB Cargo
SBB Cargo is a subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways specialising in railfreight. Swiss Federal Railways is a former state-owned company that was transformed in 1999 into a joint-stock company under special legislation and divided up into three independent divisions: Passenger Traffic, Freight and...
facility at Bellinzona hit the headlines, when its workers went on strike
Bellinzona railway workers strike of 2008
The Bellinzona railway workers strike of 2008 was a strike by railway workers against FFS Cargo , a division of Swiss Railways. The dispute concerned a proposed company restructure that would include the loss of workers' jobs. The strike took place in the Swiss town of Bellinzona...
, after SBB Cargo had prescribed rigorous reduction measures for the site.
With the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel
Gotthard Base Tunnel
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a new railway tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps, expected to open in 2016. With a route length of and a total of of tunnels, shafts and passages, it is the world's longest rail tunnel, surpassing the Japanese Seikan Tunnel....
in 2017, travel times between Bellinzona and German Switzerland will fall by about one hour.
Facilities
In addition to the reception hall, the station has three island platforms, one of which includes a shortened dead-end track, and thus serves as a side platform at the same level as the station building.There are also transit and overtaking tracks for goods trains.
Operations
Passenger traffic at the station is handled by SBB-CFF-FFS, which serves the station with long distance trains, and by Treni Regionali Ticino LombardiaTreni Regionali Ticino Lombardia
TiLo is a limited company established in 2004 as a joint venture between the Italian State Railways and the Swiss Federal Railways , both companies participate in the equity of TILO SA with participation of 50%.The company's goal is to develop the regional cross-border traffic between the Canton...
(TiLo), which operates the three lines of the Ticino S-Bahn.
Long distance trains
Zürich HB – Zug – Arth-GoldauArth-Goldau railway station
Arth-Goldau railway station is a railway junction in Arth, in the district and canton of Schwyz, Switzerland.The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth....
– Bellinzona – Lugano – Chiasso – Milano Centrale (six times daily) Zürich HB – Zug – Arth-Goldau – Bellinzona – Lugano (– Chiasso) (every second hour, three train pairs to/from Chiasso) Basel SBB – Olten
Olten railway station
Olten station is a major hub railway station in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, at the junction of lines to Zürich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne and Biel...
– Luzern
Lucerne railway station
Lucerne railway station is a major hub of the Swiss rail network. It is a terminal station serving domestic and international traffic on several rail lines...
– Arth-Goldau – Bellinzona – Lugano (every two hours) Zürich HB – Zug – Arth-Goldau – Schwyz – Brunnen
Brunnen railway station
Brunnen railway station serves the communitiy of Ingenbohl in the Kanton of Schwyz. It is named after the most known part of it — Brunnen SZ. It is own by the Swiss Federal Railways and it is served by long-distance trains as well as by commuter and suburban trains.- History :After some argument...
– Göschenen
Göschenen railway station
Göschenen railway station, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland, is an important railway junction on the Gotthardbahn railway line, at the northern end of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel....
– Bellinzona – Locarno
Locarno railway station
Locarno railway station serves the city of Locarno, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. However, the station is located within the adjacent municipality of Muralto, near the shore of Lake Maggiore...
(every two hours) Basel SBB – Olten – Luzern – Arth-Goldau – Schwyz – Brunnen – Göschenen – Bellinzona – Locarno
S-Bahn
- S10 BiascaBiascaBiasca is a town of the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Biasca is first mentioned in 830 as Aviasca in the Liber viventium of Pfäfers Abbey. In 1119 it was mentioned as Abiasca.-Early history:...
– Castione – Arbedo – BellinzonaBellinzonaBellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
– LuganoLuganoLugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
– ChiassoChiassoChiasso is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is located at the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso...
– Albate – Camerlata (Italy) - S20 Bellinzona – LocarnoLocarnoLocarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
- S30 Bellinzona – LuinoLuinoLuino is a small town and comune near the border with Switzerland on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, in the Province of Varese ....
(Italy)
In addition, several bus lines operated by various companies link the station forecourt with nearby destinations.
The future
Despite the planned Bellinzona rail bypass, which has now been postponed due to lack of funds, the station is set to remain a long distance train stopping point, even after the opening of the Gotthard Base TunnelGotthard Base Tunnel
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a new railway tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps, expected to open in 2016. With a route length of and a total of of tunnels, shafts and passages, it is the world's longest rail tunnel, surpassing the Japanese Seikan Tunnel....
.
Initial plans were to replace the present Bellinzona and Lugano railway stations with a new station, to be named Ticino South, as part of the Ceneri Base Tunnel
Ceneri Base Tunnel
The Ceneri Base Tunnel is a railway tunnel under construction in Switzerland's Canton Ticino. It will pass under Monte Ceneri between Camorino in the Magadino Flat and Vezia near Lugano...
construction project. The new station would have been situated in Camorino
Camorino
Camorino is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:From time immemorial the inhabitants of Isone regularly crossed the Tiglio alpine pass to arrive in the Camorino area, where they owned vineyards and arable land. Over the centuries, many of...
, at the intersection of the Gotthard axis of the new AlpTransit
AlpTransit
AlpTransit, also known as New Railway Link through the Alps NRLA , is a Swiss federal project aimed to build faster north-south rail links across the Swiss Alps by constructing base tunnels several hundred metres below the level of the current tunnels...
line and the old Gotthardbahn.
However, in May 2007 the SBB-CFF-FFS dissociated itself from those plans, and indicated support for the continued stopping of long-distance trains in the city centres of Bellinzona and Lugano.
See also
- AlpTransitAlpTransitAlpTransit, also known as New Railway Link through the Alps NRLA , is a Swiss federal project aimed to build faster north-south rail links across the Swiss Alps by constructing base tunnels several hundred metres below the level of the current tunnels...
- Bellinzona railway workers strike of 2008Bellinzona railway workers strike of 2008The Bellinzona railway workers strike of 2008 was a strike by railway workers against FFS Cargo , a division of Swiss Railways. The dispute concerned a proposed company restructure that would include the loss of workers' jobs. The strike took place in the Swiss town of Bellinzona...
- GotthardbahnGotthardbahnGotthardbahn was the name of a private Swiss railway company which operated the railway line from Immensee to Chiasso . Nowadays this term usually does not refer to that company, but to the railway line itself...