Renovation of the Monte Generoso Railway completed

The last section of the new track on the line leading to the peak was laid on January 31, 2023, completing the century-old railway renovation work built in 1890.

With the laying, between piles 29 and 30, of the last elements of rails and racks and their connection to the steel sleepers by bolts, the fourth and final phase of the work that began in 2019 comes to an end.
“Four years have passed since the first pickaxe stroke on Nov. 2, 2019,” says Monica Besomi, Head of Marketing & Communication and Vice-Director of the Monte Generoso Railway, “and in full compliance with the timeline and costs, CHF 22 million approximately (supported by the Migros Cultural Percentage) we are today witnessing the laying of the last piece of the new track of the Monte Generoso rack. We are very proud to have witnessed a centuries-old feat that involved five Ticino companies generating an extraordinary job inducement.”

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It was indeed an impressive intervention when one considers the tons of material removed and brought downstream and that put in place to renew the approximately 9 km of track from Capolago to the summit of Monte Generoso.
“A total of 1,400 tons of steel and 14,000 tons of old ballast were removed and replaced with 2,000 tons of steel,” points out Eng. Pietro Brenni, project leader of the Brenni-Wild-Oikos design and management consortium in Mendrisio. “Added to this are 7 complete switches, 13,500 sleepers and more than 8,000 cubic meters of new crushed stone to make the track bed.”

The renovation of the rack track is future-oriented work, as the new line will be able to accommodate more modern and comfortable vehicles thanks in part to the construction of lighted platforms at the San Nicolao and Bellavista intermediate stations. “We have worked through ice, snow, and rain,” says Massimo Bosisio, Head of Operations & Infrastructure and Member of the Board of FMG, who has followed every moment of the works from 2019 to the present, “and, despite the fatigue, it has been a unique and unrepeatable experience that I have been lucky enough to live through and that I would do again right away. By following the processes entirely, from decision-making to execution, I have learned so much both technically and bureaucratically. Today’s gratification is immense as is the bond towards the Monte Generoso Railway, which gave me the opportunity to work with a group of very competent professionals.”

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It was precisely the selection of companies and professionals that led to sealing the important goal today, on time and on budget. From the Brenni-Wild-Oikos Consortium, which designed and directed the work with valuable environmental advice, to Tensol Rail of Giornico, an international leader in the production of railway road material, to Sersa Sud SA of Lumino, which was able to put it in place, as well as Fontana Scavi SA, which managed the disposal of the excavated material and supplied the new ballast from the nearby Saltrio quarries. “Between now and mid-March, the laying of the ballast, welding, tamping, neutralization and important testing still remain to be accomplished,” concludes construction manager Pietro Brenni. “Not forgetting the cleaning of all the areas touched by construction activities and the crucial restoration of the Mendrisio Bubble, which, according to the rules of environmental charges, goes to compensate for the construction of the 50 square meters of asphalt sidewalks at the intermediate stations.”

The new line will be able to run more modern and comfortable vehicles, thanks in part to the construction of lighted sidewalks at the intermediate stations of San Nicolao and Bellavista.

The little blue-orange trains, from Capolago to the peak and back, will start running again on March 25, 2023 with the reopening of the tourist season, and thanks to this intervention, the railway will be active even during the winter.

Open in the winter period as well

“We are happy to announce the seasonal adjustment of FMG’s tourist activity,” Monica Besomi announced, “from next December 2 until spring 2024, the rack and with it the Fiore di pietra and the new Buffet Bellavista will be open every weekend and holidays. Thus the offer, which in the summer period also boasts a campsite in Melano on the shores of Lake Lugano, becomes complete, varied and ideal for all tastes and all seasons.“

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