ABSTRACT
The new Lugano tram network represent a new link between surrounding countryside, city center and its international connections (airport and railway). The new line includes a 2.1 km tunnel which passes through a hill located between the airport and the city center, allowing to reduce travel time by public transport. Moreover, a 50 m deep underground station is foreseen to connect it. through elevators and escalators, to the existing international railway station located on the hill, in order to make it a major interchange for tourists and commuters. In the meantime, this station is a challenging engineering task, considering its dimensions (250 sqm cross-section and 130 m long) and its location, within a urban environment and under the existing railway station, with low overburden and in a complex geological context. The project is aimed to combine serviceability and architectural requirements, high safety standards and to deal with challenging geotechnical conditions.
