Rail traffic Geneva station without trains for twenty hours

In Geneva, the platforms of Cornavin station were deserted on Sunday morning. Not a single passenger train ran for twenty hours. The interruption to rail traffic allowed SBB to put its new computerized control center into operation.

The old system dated back to 1986 and the new interlocking is equipped with more modern technology. SBB announced on Sunday that this will ensure smooth train services in view of the expected increase in the number of passengers between Lausanne and Geneva over the next few decades.

The system changeover required a complete interruption of train services on the Coppet - Geneva - Geneva Airport - Bellgarde (F) - Annemasse (F) sector for twenty hours. An extensive replacement system was set up with the use of 135 buses and coaches.

Construction work for the new control center took place between 2019 and 2024. During these years, the two systems ran in parallel, as Jérôme Gonzalez, project manager at SBB, explained to the Keystone-SDA news agency during a tour of the station.

"Brain" of the station

On Sunday morning, SBB employees were busy replacing the old traffic lights with new ones. The control center is considered the "brain" of the station. It controls and monitors all the signals and points of the railroad. It is located in a building that houses 88 control cabinets.

With 1500 elements (signals, balises, points, etc.) connected by 230 kilometers of cable, the Geneva signal box has become SBB's largest computer-controlled control center. Zurich station, for example, is equipped with several smaller signal boxes, said SBB spokesman Frédéric Revaz.

The new interlocking in Cornavin will guarantee train traffic during the construction of the station extension. As part of the extension, it is planned that two underground tracks will be built. The building permit procedure is to be initiated from 2027. The construction work is expected to take around nine years.

SDA