Track renewal Lötschberg tunnel

The track in BLS's Lötschberg tunnel needs to be replaced after around 40 years. It consists of a ballasted superstructure—when the tunnel was opened in 1913, there were no other superstructure systems for railways. Since then, the world has moved on. Since the 1960s, slab tracks have been used in Switzerland. Instead of lying on ballast, the sleepers are embedded in concrete. The installation of ballastless tracks is considerably more expensive than that of a ballasted track, but the reduced maintenance requirement more than makes up for the higher investment costs. This makes slab tracks the better option, especially on sections that are hard to reach. In Switzerland, therefore, the principle of "slab track on solid surfaces" applies to new constructions—in tunnels, on overpasses and in underpasses, ballast is no longer used.

RUBI Railtec supports BLS in this project and is actively involved in the project structure. Our tasks include risk management, legal advice, submissions relating to site management as well as the contractors for the main lot and the southern section, inspections for the purpose of quality assurance, technical second opinions, processing of supplements and claims as well as deputising for the BLS project manager.