Limmattal light rail line

The Limmattal light rail line (German: Limmattalbahn) is a new metre gauge light rail line that is proposed, under construction and partially completed 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, when fully completed, be 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) long, will serve 27 stops, and will operate from Zürich Altstetten to Killwangen via Farbhof, Schlieren, Urdorf, Dietikon and Spreitenbach.[1][2][3][4]

This article is about the new light rail line under construction in the Limmat Valley. For the former tramway in the same area, see Limmattal tramway.
Limmattal light rail line
A visualisation of what the line will look like when complete
Overview
Native nameLimmattalbahn
TypeLight rail
StatusUnder construction
TerminiZürich-Altstetten station
Killwangen-Spreitenbach station
Stations27
Websitehttps://www.limmattalbahn.ch/
Operation
Planned opening2020 (phase 1)
2022 (full)
OwnerLimmattalbahn AG
Operator(s)BDWM Transport
Technical
Line length13.4 km (8.3 mi)
Number of tracksDouble
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Electrification600/1200 V DC

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.[5]

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 opened in September 2019. A further referendum called by opponents in the canton of Zürich in an attempt to have phase 2 cancelled was defeated, and the line is expected to be fully opened throughout in 2022.[1][2][4][5][6][7][8][9]

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 is already 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. This section will continue to be served by both services once the whole line is opened. 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][5][10]

From Farbhof to Schlieren the line is electrified at 600 V DC for compatibility with the Zürich tram network, and the section of phase 2 between Altstetten and Farbhof will also be electrified at this voltage. The rest of the line will be electrified at 1200 V DC, which is also used by the Bremgarten–Dietikon line. A joint order, with Baselland Transport, has been placed with Stadler for the supply of new light rail vehicles to operate the service from Altstetten to Killwangen. The Limmattal portion of this order is for eight 45-metre (148 ft) long and 2.4-metre (7 ft 10 in) wide double-ended Citylink 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 is operated by the existing single-ended Zürich tram fleet, for which a turning loop has been provided at Schlieren.[2][11][12][13]

References
  1. "Betrieb & Angebot" [Operation & Offer] (in German). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. "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. "First phase of Limmattalbahn opens in Zürich". Railway Gazette International. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. "Portrait" (in German). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. "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.
  9. Moglestue, Andrew (24 September 2018). "83 percent want Limmattalbahn". Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  10. "Situation Zentrum Dietikon" (PDF). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  11. 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.
  12. "Situation Depot" (PDF). Limmattalbahn AG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  13. Moglestue, Andrew (13 November 2018). "Stadler to supply Limmattalbahn and Waldenburgerbahn". Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
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