Affoltern tram
Affoltern is a major development area in the northwest of the city of Zurich that has grown rapidly in recent years. The new tram line will create additional capacity and provide Affoltern with a direct route to the city center.
The construction project is to replace the trolley bus line 32 with a tram line with its own public transport track. In addition, the existing tram line 11 will be extended to Holzerhurd. The travel time from Zehntenhausplatz to the main station will thus be reduced to 17 minutes. A total of four kilometers of new track will be laid and seven new tram stops created. The average distance between stops will be 550 meters.
Current project status
After the approval of the credit for the construction and circulation project by the government council, Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) started with the construction project at the end of September 2020. In the process, the previous plans will be further concretized. This includes, among other things, the determination of the locations for poles and trees, the design of the public space, the barrier-free design of the stops, the development of the adjacent properties as well as the adaptation and new construction of utility lines. Furthermore, the concept for the traffic and construction process is being deepened and the first construction tenders are already being prepared and carried out.
The further planning of the Affoltern tram line is being conducted in cooperation between the city and the canton of Zurich, who are supported in this by external experts. The construction project with cost estimate should be available in 2022.
Schedule and costs
Construction is expected to take 3.5 years and will also include new sewer construction. Commissioning is scheduled for 2028. The cost of the tram project is approximately CHF 280 million with a cost accuracy of +/- 20 percent.
Project responsibility
The purchaser of the Affoltern tram line is the Canton of Zurich, represented by the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund. VBZ is mainly responsible for the project planning of the new tram connection.