New cantonal railway station Uri officially opened

The new cantonal railway station Uri was opened in Altdorf in the canton of Uri on December 12. In future, this means that trains passing through the Gotthard Base Tunnel will also be able to stop in Altdorf. Alongside representatives from the municipality and canton, Vincent Ducrot, CEO of SBB, the Swiss national railway company, and Peter Füglistaler, Director of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), were present to mark the start of operations.

According to a press release issued by the canton of Uri, the new station project was completed in less than two years. “The construction project was completed on time and within budget to a high standard of quality”, Ducrot comments in the press release. Owing to the challenges presented by the coronavirus crisis, this was no mean feat, he explains further. With these new, rapid connections, Ticino and the economic centers in the north are easier and faster to reach from Altdorf. “This brings the canton of Uri even closer to the rest of Switzerland”, Ducrot concludes.

The new station for the canton of Uri also has regional significance in terms of the development of the Gotthard region and tourism infrastructure. Sylvia Läubli Ziegler, President of the Landrat of Uri, the cantonal council for the canton of Uri, points out the importance of Uri being connected to international rail networks. In total, 18 Intercity trains will now stop in Altdorf, with the rail service to be expanded to 90 train stops per day.

This new public transport hub was realized by four partners: SBB, the canton of Uri, the municipality of Altdorf and the Cantonal Bank of Uri. The new station represents “a quantum leap for Switzerland, for the canton of Uri and for Altdorf”, comments Peter Füglistaler. Pascal Ziegler, Mayor of Altdorf, is likewise convinced that the construction of the new station will “pave the way for prosperous development” across the Reuss valley region in the canton of Uri.