Limmattal light rail line

Limmattal light rail line
A visualisation of what the line will look like when complete
Overview
Native name Limmattalbahn
Type Light rail
Status Under construction
Termini Zürich-Altstetten station
Killwangen-Spreitenbach station
Stations 27
Website https://www.limmattalbahn.ch/
Operation
Planned opening 2020 (phase 1)
2022 (full)
Owner Limmattalbahn AG
Operator(s) BDWM Transport
Technical
Line length 13.4 km (8.3 mi)
Number of tracks Double
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Electrification 600/1200 V DC

The Limmattal light rail line (German: Limmattalbahn) is a new metre gauge light rail line that is proposed and under construction on an alignment running through the Limmat Valley, in the Swiss cantons of Aargau and Zürich to the west of the city of Zürich. The new line will be 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) long, will serve 27 stops, and will operate from Zürich Altstetten to Killwangen via Schlieren, Urdorf, Dietikon and Spreitenbach.[1][2][3]

The Limmat Valley is a major transport corridor. Its first railway was the first line in Switzerland, the so-called Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn that opened in 1847, and that line now carries long distance passenger trains, freight trains and suburban trains of the Zürich S-Bahn. However the stations of the S-Bahn are well separated, with only five stations in the distance to be covered by the Limmattal line. The Limmattal tramway provided more local transport from 1900, but closed in stages between 1928 and 1955, being replaced by buses. The roads of the Limmat Valley are now at capacity, leading to delays to both bus and car traffic. It estimated that traffic will continue to grow, with 113,000 extra journeys a day by 2030.[4]

It is against this background that the Limmattal light rail line was proposed as a solution. Planning began in 2000, and by 2007 the line was included in the cantonal plans of Aargau and Zürich. In 2010, the Limmattalbahn AG company was founded by the cantons to plan and implement the infrastructure for the line. A referendum, held in November 2015, approved the construction of the line, and it was announced in May 2016 that the line would be operated by BDWM Transport, who also operate the Bremgarten–Dietikon line. Construction commenced in August 2017, and phase 1 between Farbhof and Schlieren is expected to open in 2020. The line is expected to be fully opened throughout in 2022, although a further referendum has since been called by opponents in the canton of Zürich in an attempt to have phase 2 cancelled.[1][2][4][5][6][7]

When fully open, light rail trains will run every 15 minutes between Zürich-Altstetten and Killwangen-Spreitenbach stations, with the ability to later increase the frequency to every 7.5 minutes. The line will be double-track throughout, and over 90% segregated from road traffic. The stretch of the line between Farbhof and Schlieren will also be used by an extension of Zürich tram route 2, running every 7.5 minutes and replacing the existing Zürich trolleybus route 31 over that stretch. The Limmattal and Bremgarten–Dietikon lines will also share a short section of track on the existing alignment of the latter in the centre of Dietikon.[1][2][4][8]

From Altstetten to Schlieren the line will be electrified at 600 V DC for compatibility with the Zürich tram network. The rest of the line will be electrified at 1200 V DC, which is also used by the Bremgarten–Dietikon line. A joint tender, with Baselland Transport, has been issued for the supply of new light rail vehicles to operate the service from Altstetten to Killwangen. The Limmattal portion of this tender is for eight double-ended vehicles, with an option for up to eight more, for which a depot is to be constructed between Dietikon and Spreitenbach. The extension of Zürich tram line 2 will be covered by the existing single-ended Zürich tram fleet, for which a turning loop will be provided at Schlieren.[2][9][10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Betrieb & Angebot" [Operation & Offer] (in German). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Work begins on Limmattalbahn light rail project". Metro Report International. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Moglestue, Andrew (March 2010). "Limmattalbahn". Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "Portrait" (in German). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Hotz, Stefan; Müller, André (22 November 2015). "Nur das Limmattal selbst stimmt gegen «sein» neues Tram" [Only the Limmattal itself voted against "its" new tram]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Zander, Corsin (13 May 2016). "Aargauer betreiben Zürcher Limmattalbahn" [Aargau company to operate Zürcher Limmattalbahn]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ein Baustopp bleibt im Zürcher Kantonsparlament ohne Chance" [A freeze on construction in the Zurich Cantonal Parliament will have no chance] (in German). Swiss Radio and Television. 9 April 2018. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Situation Zentrum Dietikon" (PDF). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Green, Anitra (29 November 2017). "BLT and Limmattalbahn to order 18 trams". International Railway Journal. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Situation Depot" (PDF). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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