Swissmetro et Eurometro: high-speed network and corridors
Swissmetro: a Swiss network
The first links completed in Switzerland, particularly the first line of the project (pilot line ehich could linke Geneva with Lausanne or Basle to Zurich), could constitute the beginning of a future national network which would allow linking of the country's main cities in under an hour via the big East-West and North-South routes.
Eurometro: a high-speed European corridor
During the development of its railway lines, Europe firstly favoured North-South links to th destriment of their East-West counterparts. The result of such a choixe is that today, not one high-speed route crosses the continent from West to East and, in particular through Switzerland and the Alpine space.
Therefore, due to the absence of high-performance ground transport, synergies and exchanges between European centres such as Lyons, Geneva, Zurich, Munich and Vienna remain completely unexploited.
Cities served
On this West-East route, Eurometro vehicles could link the cities of Lyons, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, Zurich, St.Gallen, Munich, Salzbourg, Linz and Vienna. In addition, stops at the various airports - particularly Lyons, Geneva, Zurich, Munich and Vienna - would no doubt be conceivable.
Journey times
Thanks to Eurometro, with a direct link at 600 km/h, Lyons will be only 1h20 from Munich (at the moment, 9h30 by train) and 2h15 from Vienna (now 15 hours by train). If there is a service to the other main cities, Lyons-Munich will be linked at 450 km/h in only 2h10 and Lyons-Vienna in 3h30.
Cost
The estimated cost of the Lyons-Munich-Vienna line is approxiamately 40 billion Euros. The exact amount will depend particularly on the maxium speeds authorised, the number of stations and the way they are connected (direct and shunt). Total construction time will depend on the annual investments involved and availability of equipment and human resources.
Ticket price
Running costs and a considerable part of the investment will be covered by passenger traffice revenue, which, considering the performances and attractiveness of Eurometro, should ensure profitability of the links, charging fares competitive eith those currently applicable in the rail sector. Thus, travel by Eurometro should not cost more than hidh-speed train.
