Matter Valley Tunnel

Due to its exposed location, the railway link between Täsch and Zermatt in Switzerland is particularly subjected to the dangers of natural forces such as avalanches and rockfalls. Part of the federal strategic development project for railway infrastructure (STEP 2035), a new tunnel will be built between the two villages to make rail traffic safer and faster. Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn is responsible for design and construction of the large-scale project.

The planned structure is 4 kilometres long, designed as a single-track tunnel with a 1.4-kilometre-long crossing section. A parallel safety shaft is connected to the main tunnel by cross cuts every 500 metres. The incline in the new tunnel is even and moderate to eliminate toothed rack rails which again leads to faster travel times – reduced from currently twelve minutes to around half that time.

The project stands out by its high BIM integration and is implemented according to the newest IFC standard. SSF Ingenieure has been contracted by IG HORU for overall BIM coordination during SIA phase 32 – construction project (corresponding to the draft design stage).