No train service at Lucerne railway station over the weekend
Problems with the rail switches are believed to be partly responsible for the derailment of a train in Lucerne station in March last year.
Keystone
Lucerne station will be completely closed to rail traffic on Saturday and Sunday as the Swiss federal railways will be installing new rail switches.
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On Thursday, the rail operator announced the measure which is in response to the derailment of a Eurocity train in March 2017. A total of seven switches, that enable train to change tracks, will be installed over a period of four months.
More than 20 special buses will be made available for passengers. If work proceeds as scheduled, rail traffic at Lucerne station will resume on Monday morning at 4:00 am.
The closure of the station will cause rail traffic disruptions in the Lucerne region and changes to the railway timetable. As it happens, the dates chosen coincide with important events in Lucerne: the Swiss football team plays against Belgium on Sunday as part of the UEFA Nations League. Other fixtures over the weekend include the Lucerne Piano Festival and the Lucerne Blues Festival.
The derailment of a Eurocity train in March 2017 at Lucerne station disrupted traffic for four days. A similar derailment at Basel station last November led the railway operator to conclude that a defective switch was probably one of the causes of these two accidents.
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