The Zurich tunnel project, which costs millions, is already causing criticism: A pedestrian path is planned to be built from Stadelhofen to Heimplatz

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Anyone getting off the train at Stadelhofen station during rush hour has to put their elbows there: It’s very cramped in Zurich city centre. The situation is getting tighter: construction of the fourth line at Stadelhofen station will start in 2027. Zurich’s city council expects passenger flows to increase by 50 percent when the expansion is completed in 2035.

Already 100,000 people pass through Stadelhofen train station every day, making it an urban bottleneck. Because: The train station can only be reached from the south (i.e. towards the lake).

The city council is now planning a new entrance to the north of the train station and wants to invest an impressive 100 million francs for this, as can be seen from the current city council decision.

highway for students

In particular, a 400-meter-long pedestrian tunnel will be dug between the train station and Heimplatz. Heimplatz is home to two important cultural institutions; Schauspielhaus and Kunsthaus are therefore more accessible.

And best of all: the university district around the main buildings of the university and ETH Zurich are now closer in terms of transport to the Stadelhofen train station. This is very important because: The university district will be expanded in the coming years. As a result, the city council expects the flow of people to increase by 13 percent.

seven meters wide

The new pedestrian tunnel will also reduce traffic congestion in Bellevue. According to the decision of the city council, the 400-meter-long tunnel will be equipped with “moving walkways” (stair lifts and passenger conveyor belts). An image shows that the tunnel could be almost seven meters wide and 3.5 meters high.

However, there is no detailed visualization yet; because the project is still far in the future. Before we start, the people of Zurich must first vote at the ballot box. This is due to project costs alone, which are expected to be 100 million francs. The city council emphasizes that these could be up to 40 percent higher or lower, as many details are still open.

There is a barrage of criticism

But the costs are already raising doubts: “This is very expensive and also raises the question of whether so many people will actually use this pedestrian tunnel one day,” green Zurich city councilor Markus Knauss told “Tages-Anzeiger”. And SVP local councilor Stephan Iten describes the costs at ‘NZZ’ as “appalling”.

Critical voices from the far left to the far right do not bode well for the upcoming referendum. The city council still has a long way to go to convince the people of Zurich about the new pedestrian tunnel.

Source :Blick