Swedish company AFRY, within the Tram Ticino consortium, has secured the planning contract for the Breganzona tunnel in Switzerland, a significant development for the local public transport network.
AFRY, collaborating with engineering companies Pini and Lombardi, has been awarded the contract for the tunnel by Rete Tram-Treno del Luganese.
The new Tram-Treno network in Lugano will connect the city centre with the Malcantone and Vedeggio valleys, aiming to reduce travel time and emerge as a more sustainable transport option.
The redesign of the network is also anticipated to triple its capacity, from the current 7,500 passengers per day to 20,000 in the future.
The underground station Lugano – Railway Station SBB, situated 40m below the new underpass, will become an intermodal hub, linking trams, trains, and city buses. This integration will connect the new network with regional and national transport systems.
The first phase of the Tram-Treno network is targeted to commence operations by 2035.
AFRY’s involvement in the project is thereby expected to span the next ten years, with the planning contract valued at approximately Skr120m ($12.3m).
AFRY Switzerland country manager Marcel Winter said: “We are pleased to be able to use our expertise to bring this complex inner-city project from the planning stage to life, thus contributing to a sustainable transport solution.”
AFRY provides engineering, design, and advisory services. The company employs 18,000 staff across the industry, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
In a related development, AFRY began the design of a waste-to-energy facility near Mělník in the Czech Republic in July 2024. The facility, to be constructed by CEZ Group, is set to convert municipal waste into heat for Prague, located roughly 30km to the south of the plant.
