Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) has confirmed that the tram network in Zurich is to be expanded. Two tram lines, including the one to Zurich Airport, will be extended, with work expected to be completed by 2029.

Tram to be extended to Zurich Afoltern

After the Federal Council approved the project last Wednesday, VBZ confirmed that two tram lines are to be extended in the largest city in Switzerland. The project is due to cost 720 million Swiss francs in total, which also includes funding for new bike routes and flood protection.

The first project will see a direct tram connection between the city centre of Zurich and the rural suburb of Afoltern - home to the Katzensee. The route is currently served by a trolleybus, which will be converted into a tram to implement a faster, more efficient public transport system in the area.

Grand designs for public transport in Zurich

The second project will see the Glattalbahn extended beyond its terminus at the freight station of Zurich Airport. Instead, the tram will continue along into Kloten itself, stopping at the church and council (Gemeinde) before finishing in the Grindel industrial estate, home to international companies like Helvetic Airways.

This extension is part of a wider plan for trams in Zurich, with hopes to extend the airport line to Bassersdorf, Dietlikon and Dübendorf in future. This would allow the fastest growing areas of Zurich to be connected to the city centre more quickly and frequently.

VBZ said that construction on the new lines will start in 2026, with hopes of completion by 2029. It comes as one of the largest infrastructure projects in Zurich - the new tram between Alstetten and Dietikon - is set to be opened this summer.