Gotthard tunnel: long traffic jams forecast for Whit weekend

Patience will once again be needed at the north and south portal of the Gotthard tunnel over the Whit weekend. Waiting times of more than two hours can be expected. The Gotthard Pass Road can probably not be used as an alternative route, as it is expected that it will still be closed.

If you are driving south on Friday, you’re advised to set off early in the morning to avoid long waiting times. Viasuisse expects the first traffic jam to arise in front of the Gotthard north portal from 10 a.m., with the largest traffic volume between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. The queues are expected to grow up to 10 kilometres in length. The congestion should reduce later, but it must be expected that the ride will not free of traffic jams, even at night.
The patience of road users will again be put to the test on Saturday,: either the traffic jam from Friday will stubbornly continue into Saturday - or it will begin to build up again from 6 a.m. in the morning. Travelers waiting in front of the Gotthard north portal will need particularly strong nerves until 2 p.m. The forecast predicts 12 to 15 kilometres of traffic jams for this period, which corresponds to a waiting time of up to two and a half hours. The road south should be running smoothly again by 7 p.m. at the latest.

 

As shown here on the Easter weekend, the way to the south will be blocked on the Whit weekend. (Alexandra Wey / Keystone, April 19, 2019)

Return journey already starting on Whit Sunday

The first travellers could start their journey back north as early as Whit Sunday. Viasuisse only expects minor congestion from 2 p.m. until about 9 p.m., however. The major wave of returning traffic is expected on Whit Monday, with queues forming in front of the Gotthard South Portal in Airolo from 11 a.m., reaching their peak, with queues of 5 to 7 kilometres, between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. Traffic should run smoothly again around midnight. Another traffic wave is forecast for Tuesday, although more than 6 kilometres of traffic jams are not expected.
There was a record traffic jam in front of the Gotthard north portal on Whitsun in 2018. As a result of the closure of the San Bernardino tunnel after a bus fire, the record backlog of Pentecost 1999 was equalled, with a 28-kilometre queue.

Gotthard pass road closed due to avalanche danger

It may not be possible to use the Gotthard Pass Road as a detour to the Gotthard Road Tunnel on the Whitsun weekend, due to the danger of avalanches, the Urner Construction department announced a few days ago.

When can you travel without as few queues as possible?
(zfo) On the outward journey, it’s worthwhile to start early, writes the TCS on its website. On Friday morning, the traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal in Göschenen should be no more than 2 kilometres before 10 a.m. Driving through the night from Friday to Saturday is another recommendation. Or you start on Saturday at dawn: up to 5 a.m., the traffic jam should not measure more than 4 kilometres.
On the return journey, it’s not advisable to be on the road on the afternoon of Whit Monday or Tuesday. It’s best to choose the late Monday evening for the return journey - or the night from Monday to Tuesday.

SBB to provide 47,000 additional seats
Those who want to escape the congestion and stress on the road could travel by train instead: the SBB are providing 31 additional trains over Whit. In addition, various standard trains will be running with additional cars or train units. A total of 47,000 additional seats are thereby available at Whitsun for the trip to Ticino and Valais or back again. The SBB recommends reserving your seats.

More information is available at: www.sbb.ch/entspannt-reisen.

Train travellers should note that the route between Zug and Arth-Goldau will be completely closed from 9 June due to construction work (see our other report). That’s why the timetable on the north-south axis is changing considerably. Travelers will have to reckon with adapted travel times and track changes, and the travel time will be longer.