By rosebell
The expansion process of Switzerland’s Lötschberg Base Tunnel has been awarded to AFRY, that is a part of the engineering consortium IG AI, and has the quality assurance of the railway engineering equipment.
As part of the 40km Lötschberg Base Line between Frutigen and Raron,the Lötschberg Base Tunnel is due to be upgraded to double track under the Swiss Rail Expansion 2035 program.Inhancing capacity and supporting the shift of freight from road to rail,this tunnel together with the Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnels forms the backbone of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NEAT).
The responsibility for the quality assurance of all railway engineering equipment during the expansion project will be up to the IG AI consortium, whereas the work includes reviews of planning, technical assessments, and oversight of commissioning, ensuring that the project’s capacity and safety targets are met.
According to Marcel Winter, head of segment road & rail at AFRY: “We are proud to contribute to one of Switzerland’s most important infrastructure projects. Our expertise in railway engineering and quality assurance will help ensure the successful expansion of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel and strengthen sustainable transport across the Alps.”
With around SEK118m (US$12.6m) value, the IG AI contract’s almost SEK38m (US$4m) is allocated to AFRY. While the date of commencing this project was October, it will run until December 2035.
