Next connection: future (Swiss Press Text 2015, by Hug Christian) - Swiss Press Award

Nidwaldner Kalender und Obwaldener Kalender

Hug Christian

Ten years ago (2005), the Lucerne–Stans–Engelberg Railway and the Brünig Railway merged to form the Zentralbahn (Central Railway). Today, nothing is the same: the line has been almost completely replaced. The rolling stock (trains) is largely new. The timetable has been massively expanded. New tunnels and new double-track sections have significantly reduced travel times. All stations have been expanded. Some stations and stops have been rebuilt. All 217 level crossings have been renovated or closed, etc. What does this mean for the people of Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, and the Bernese Haslital? How has the expansion of the railway changed the respective cantons and their traffic situation? How does the railway fare today? And where does the future hold? My article explores these questions in two stories: One article, about the Lucerne–Stans-Engelberg line, will appear in the "Nidwaldner Kalender" (Brattig), while the other, about the Lucerne–Sarnen–Meiringen–Interlaken Ost line, will appear in parallel in the "Obwaldener Kalender" (Brattig) – with cross-references to the other article. In each case, the Lucerne–Hergiswil section, where the two lines diverge, is congruent. Together, the two articles form a whole, which Zentralbahn will publish as a special edition next spring.