2023-11-09 13:16:31
A major incident affected the CFF line between Geneva and Lausanne on Thursday. Rail traffic between the two cities was largely paralyzed until 10:45 a.m. and will remain severely disrupted until the end of the evening. An outage was caused by drilling work which damaged eight large cables at Renens station.
The cables damaged during work on Wednesday evening are used to control the station’s signals and switches.
“The eight large cables each contain around 100 internal cables, some of which have been broken. It takes time to determine which ones,” CFF regional director for French-speaking Switzerland David Fattebert told the media at the Lausanne station.
“The repair and connection work is complex,” he noted. The technical teams are working hard. The first functionality tests are planned for the followingnoon, the manager said.
Internal investigation
An internal investigation must determine the reasons for this major outage. “Bad luck, clumsiness, human error, incorrect site plans? We will have to investigate,” said David Fattebert. “But this kind of incident happens, we can’t do anything regarding it,” he said.
While the outage was initially announced for an indefinite period, the CFF finally announced in the morning that the Geneva – Lausanne connection had been restored at 10:45 a.m., but only partially, with two trains per hour and per direction.
For regional traffic, a bus service provides journeys between Renens and Morges and between Lausanne and Yverdon-les-Bains. Delays of up to 30 minutes are still expected.
>> Explanations from Frédéric Revaz, CFF spokesperson
Rail traffic disrupted: explanations from Frédéric Revaz, CFF spokesperson. / 12:45 p.m. / 2 min. / today at 12:45
Back to normal Friday?
The disruptions were expected to continue until the end of service late in the evening, according to David Fattebert. A return to normal is not expected before early Friday morning, he informed.
Travelers ask CFF staff for directions at Geneva station. [Doreen Enssle – RTS]
The head of the SBB for French-speaking Switzerland said he was sorry for the customers. “A problem at the heart of French-speaking traffic in Renens and everything collapses. This type of incident never goes well. This affects us and we are not proud of not being able to provide the best services to our customers. I understand their frustration caused by repeated problems,” he said.
The breakdown in Renens had significant impacts on all rail traffic in French-speaking Switzerland, but also on motorway traffic. Numerous traffic jams formed on Thursday morning, particularly on the approach to Lausanne.
Two years following the Tolochenaz “hole”
Ironically, this breakdown occurred on November 9, exactly two years following the Tolochenaz “hole” episode, when rail traffic between Geneva and Lausanne was cut and then disrupted for several days. Not at all superstitious, David Fattebert nevertheless admits a “symbolic” misfortune.
The line between the two Lake Geneva cities is one of the densest, but also the most fragile in Switzerland. There is no alternative route in the event of a problem, unlike other major routes in the country.
Last August, the Federal Council proposed the construction of a new section, a railway tunnel between Morges and Perroy. But for many observers, particularly elected officials, this will not be enough and only a new line will make it possible to avoid problems.
>> Read once more regarding this: “We have 50 potential Tolochenaz in Switzerland,” warns CFF director Vincent Ducrot
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