Bundling of transmission lines with trunk roads and railway lines
Bundling of infrastructure contributes in the main to conserving the countryside and to economical use of land. For these reasons when planning transmission lines in future the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) will systematically examine whether trunk roads and railway lines could be used to bundle infrastructure and improve coordination in such cases. The responsible offices within DETEC have signed a declaration of intent to this end. A study of the requirements for technology, operation and safety for bundling projects carried out on behalf of DETEC delivers a solid basis for such projects.
DETEC study
The study entitled “Clarification of questions of principle for bundling transmission lines with trunk roads and railway lines” was carried out under the lead of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), together with the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), and the Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI), national grid operator Swissgrid and Swiss Federal Railways. External support was provided by EBP Schweiz AG. To clarify the approval procedure for bundling trunk road and railway line infrastructure with transmission lines, an internal DETEC workgroup examined procedural issues in a special study focusing on the licensing of multi-functional infrastructure.