Switzerland’s Ascension holiday weekend once again brought heavy traffic to the country’s roads, with long queues forming at the Gotthard tunnel despite expanded rail services to southern Switzerland.
After tailbacks of nearly 10km on Wednesday, traffic heading south continued to build on Thursday, particularly along the A2 motorway leading to the Gotthard Road Tunnel, reported RTS.
By midday, the Touring Club Switzerland reported a queue stretching 10km between Erstfeld and Göschenen on the northern approach to the tunnel. Drivers faced delays of around one hour and 40 minutes before entering the tunnel. Traffic gradually eased later in the afternoon.
Alternative Alpine routes also congested
Motorists were advised to divert via the A13 motorway and the San Bernardino Tunnel. Even there, however, queues of more than 4km had formed by late morning.
Travellers departing from western Switzerland were encouraged to use the Simplon Pass route or the Great St Bernard Tunnel, though both experienced delays as well.
Rail-shuttle services through the Simplon corridor were operating at reduced capacity because of engineering works.
Rail capacity expanded, but trains remain busy
This year’s congestion was less severe than during the previous two Ascension weekends. Two years ago queues at the Gotthard exceeded 16km.
The lighter traffic may partly reflect expanded rail services. For both the Ascension and Pentecost holiday weekends, Swiss Federal Railways increased train capacity by 25%, mainly on routes to Ticino. The additional services provide around 130,000 extra seats. The rail operator nevertheless warned that some services remain heavily used and that passengers may still struggle to find seats on certain routes.
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