Ticino municipality wins mobility award

Thanks to the newly designed transport hub, travellers can seamlessly switch between train, bus, taxi, bicycle and park & ride. The redesign of the station and its surroundings successfully keeps through traffic away from the centre. This creates people-friendly living spaces without noise and exhaust fumes from cars. The station has been overhauled and now shines with an open station concourse that offers a mixture of gallery and covered space. The station building serves as a social centre and houses a café, a pastry shop, a supermarket, a pharmacy and bicycle stations. A related future project is the conversion of the former railway workshops. A city spokesperson explains: "A model quarter for work, living and leisure (innovation quarter) is being built near Bellinzona railway station in place of the historic industrial plant of the Swiss Federal Railways, which is to move to the new building to be constructed in Castione in 2026. In April this year, the municipal council approved the plan. Now the approval of the State Council is still pending."

The bus platform and stops were also strategically designed. Via Nadi was transformed into a dedicated bus platform where English-style buses run around a central platform. A mirrored roof provides protection from wind and weather and creates a visual link to the platforms. The station square is gently sloping and paved, with various levels, steps and landings. This creates a lively atmosphere. One-way traffic, meeting zones and easy pedestrian crossings strengthen the connection to the old town centre. Travellers have a variety of transport options to choose from, including taxis, bicycles, bikesharing stations and bus stops. The spacious layout allows for convenient boarding and alighting. To the north of the station is a Park & Ride facility with parking for cars and motorised two-wheelers.

The redesign of the station was triggered by the commissioning of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) in 2016. This major Swiss project aims to improve rail transit traffic in the north-south direction and to shift heavy goods traffic from road to rail.