75 years of the Gotthard railway [to be continued] Autor(en): [s.n.] Objekttyp: Article Zeitschrift: The Swiss observer : the journal of the Federation of Swiss Societies in the UK Band (Jahr): - (1957) Heft 1303 PDF erstellt am: 23.09.2021 Persistenter Link: http://doi.org/10.5169/seals-691663 Nutzungsbedingungen Die ETH-Bibliothek ist Anbieterin der digitalisierten Zeitschriften. Sie besitzt keine Urheberrechte an den Inhalten der Zeitschriften. Die Rechte liegen in der Regel bei den Herausgebern. Die auf der Plattform e-periodica veröffentlichten Dokumente stehen für nicht-kommerzielle Zwecke in Lehre und Forschung sowie für die private Nutzung frei zur Verfügung. Einzelne Dateien oder Ausdrucke aus diesem Angebot können zusammen mit diesen Nutzungsbedingungen und den korrekten Herkunftsbezeichnungen weitergegeben werden. Das Veröffentlichen von Bildern in Print- und Online-Publikationen ist nur mit vorheriger Genehmigung der Rechteinhaber erlaubt. Die systematische Speicherung von Teilen des elektronischen Angebots auf anderen Servern bedarf ebenfalls des schriftlichen Einverständnisses der Rechteinhaber. Haftungsausschluss Alle Angaben erfolgen ohne Gewähr für Vollständigkeit oder Richtigkeit. Es wird keine Haftung übernommen für Schäden durch die Verwendung von Informationen aus diesem Online-Angebot oder durch das Fehlen von Informationen. Dies gilt auch für Inhalte Dritter, die über dieses Angebot zugänglich sind. Ein Dienst der ETH-Bibliothek ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Schweiz, www.library.ethz.ch http://www.e-periodica.ch August .30th, 1957. TUE SWISS OBSERVER 8973 75 YEARS OF THE GOTTHARD RAILWAY P/ioto, C.F.F. Federal Councillor Lepori speaks at Bellinzona. 1. Foundation and Financing. Works in Berne, and Mr. Pasquale Lucchini, Civil Engineer in Lugano. On the initiative of the Canton Gotthard and Lukmanier. of Lucerne, the first national Gotthard Cou/erewce The idea of connecting the North and the South was held in Lucerne on the 7th August, 18-53. This of Europe, in the most direct manner, by means of a Conference was attended by representatives of tne railway line through, or over, the Alpine barrier arose Cantons of Lucerne, Berne, Schwyz, Uri, Obwalden, soon after railways had been invented. Its realization, Nidwalden, Solothurn, Basel-Stndt and Basel-Land, however, was still delayed for several decades. The who decided to give their common support to the original conceptions centred mainly on a railway construction of a Gotthard Railway. through the Gotthard mas.si/, and on one from Coire over the La&mamer Pass, into the Canton of Tessin. Gotthard Union. The laying of rails over the Eastern Alps was put Another Gott/iard Oon/orcMce was held in Olten forward by Mr. Richard La Nicea- of Coire, probably on the 15th September, I860, (o which the Cantons of the first engineer to propose the construction of an Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwaiden, Zug, Solothurn, Alpine line based on comprehensive studies. Berne, Fribourg and the Management of the SCB sent The project of a Gotthard Railway was especially their delegates. From amongst the delegates at this supported by the people of Basle and Lucerne. Among meeting, a special GoffTwird Committee was set up, the most prominent personalities to start and to which entrusted Mr. Karl Wetli, Civil Engineer in second a movement in favour of the Gotthard scheme Zurich, with the task of preparing draughts and were : Mr. Johann Jakob Speiser (1813-18G5), estimates for the construction of a railway line from Managing Director of a Bank in Basle and Chairman Fluelen to the Lago Maggiore. Mr. Wet.li's project, of the Board of Administration of the Swiss Central submitted in 1862, provided for a line location being Railway (SCB), Mr. .Josef Zingg, Cantonal Govern- as low as possible and including a long main tunnel. ment Councillor in Lucerne, Mr. Gottlieb Koller, On the 7th August, 1863, at a meeting of Engineer at the Federal Department of Posts and interested parties, representing fourteen Cantons, the 8974 THE SWISS OBSERVER Anglist 30th, 1957. Swiss Central Railway (SCB) and the Swiss North- Financing of the Construction. Eastern Railway (NOB), the former Gotthard Com- The specialists Messrs. Beckh and Gerwig mittee was enlarged into the GoG/wmZ t/mow. This estimated the cost of the construction programme at Union submitted Mr. Wetli's project for examination a total of 187,000,000 francs. The Financial Plan of and completion to two specialists, Mr. K. Beckh of the International Conference provided for the above Stuttgart, Chie'f Engineer of the NOB, and Mr. R. sum to be raised as follows : Gerwig, Construction Director of Karlsruhe, builder 85,000,000 francs swhuenUowari/ contributions, à fonds of the Black Forest Railway, who presented their perdu, 45,000,000 francs from Italy, 20,000,000 report in 1864. francs from the German Reich, and 20,000,000 The Gotthard Union successfully convinced the francs from Switzerland (Federal Government and people concerned that it was an Alpine line through Railway Companies) ; the Gotthard which would best answer the require- 102,000,000 francs from priuate sources (shares and ments of international transit traffic. The voice of bonds). This private capital, 34,000,000 francs in this Union was well seconded, too, by Dr. Alfred shares and 68,000,000 francs in bonds, was raised Escher (1819-1882), National Councillor, Chairman of by an international syndicate of the three countries the Board of Administration of the NOB and of the concerned, each one contributing an equal part. Credit Bank in Zurich, who had joined the camp of The Gotthard Railway Company (GB), with its supporters and soon became the leading personality Headquarters in Lucerne, was founded on the 6th of the Gotthard Railway movement. December, 1871. Its Board of Directors, acting The Federal Council could not cast a deciding during the construction period, consisted of Dr. A. voice in the battle of opinions regarding the various Escher, National Councillor, as Chairman, of Mr. J. schemes for Alpine lines which were put forward ; Zingg, Cantonal Government Councillor, as Vice- according to the Railway Act of 1852, only the Cantons Chairman, and of Mr. J. Weber, State Councillor of were entitled to grant concessions for the construe- Berne, as a third member. Mr. R. Gerwig, Construe- tion and working of railways. The latter were, how- tion Director, was designated as Head Engineer for ever, unable to come to any agreement on one definite the direction of the construction work. Alpine project. A decision in the matter had to be In August, 1872, the GB entrusted the task of brought about mainly by the influence of the Kingdom constructing the main tunnel (Gotthard Tunnel) to of Italy, which managed to gain support for a definite the " Entreprise du grand tunnel du Gothard Louis Gotthard project from the North German Federation, Favre & Cie " in Geneva, managed by Mr. Louis from Baden and from Württemberg. In fact, these countries sent diplomatic Notes to the Swiss Federal Council, in which they expressed their desire that a Gotthard Rail built. The Swiss Federal Council assented to these requests in so far as it invited the countries concerned to the International Gotthard Conference of 1869 in Berne. This Conference lasted from the 15th September to the 13th October, discussing a proposal of the Swiss Federal Council, based on the documentation which had been supplied by the Committee of the Gotthard Union (Project Wetli/Beckh/Gerwig) on the 22nd April, 1869. The deliberations closed with the approval of an International State Agreement, to be sanctioned by the Parliaments of the Subventionary States and to form the basis of the Gotthard Railway enterprise. Gotthard Railway Network. The State Agreement, ratified by Switzer- land in 1870, by the German Reich and by Italy in 1871, rested on the Gotthard Railway Pro- ject Wetli/Beckh/Gerwig, which provided for a tunnel between Göschenen and Airolo with a length of 14.920 km. (9 miles 477 yds.) and with the culmination point at an altitude of 1,155 metres (3,789 ft.) a.s.l. The proposed network consisted of the main trunk line Immensee-Goldau-Göschenen- Airolo-Bellinzona-Chiasso and of the direct branch lines (feeder lines) Lucerne-Immensee, Zug-Goldau, Bellinzona-Cadenazzo-Locarno and Cadenazzo-Dirinella (Swiss/Italian frontier- fäo«, c.f.f. Luino). General Manager Wichser speaks before the De Vela Monument at Airolo. August 30th, 1957. THE SWISB OBSERVER 8975 Favre, Civil Engineer ; the work was started at the à fonds perdu, to the amount of 28,000,000 francs, the northern entrance in October, and at the southern remainder of 12,000,000 francs having to be found by entrance in September of the same year. the GB through private subscriptions. The German Reich and Italy provided .10,000,000 francs each, Financial Difficulties. Switzerland 8,000,000 francs, of which 2,000,000 francs It appeared, during the course of 1875, that the were earmarked for the Monte Ceneri Line. Switzer- sum of 187,000,000 francs was by far insufficient to land's 8,000,000 francs were made up as follows : meet the cost of constructing the Gotthard Railway, contribution of the Federal Government 4,500,000 as conditions had considerably changed since 1869. francs, of the Gotthard Cantons 2,000,000 francs, and Furthermore, the tunnelling work, especially that of of the SCB and the NOB together 1,500,000 francs. excavating and of providing the masonry lining, was In regard to the financing of the Monte Ceneri very much in arrears. Differences of opinion regard- Line, the construction of which should have been ing the interpretation of the not always clearly postponed also, as stated above, a special State stipulated conditions of the construction contract Agreement, was reached between Italy and Switzer- cropped up again and again between the GB Board land on the 6th June, 1876, much earlier than and the tunnel building contractors.