In Poschiavo (Switzerland) the first results of the two-year project promoted by the Province of Sondrio and the Canton of Grisons have been drawn up. The project aims at developing a new public transport system with "long" routes in order to promote the accessibility of the territories and the sustainability of travel for citizens and tourists on the border between Italy and Switzerland.
Born within the perimeter of the cross-border cooperation project, Interreg V Italy-Switzerland, Omni-BUS 4.0 touches a crucial node in the relations between the two countries: the mobility and accessibility of the territories, fundamental for citizens and workers but also for the many tourists who move between the Province of Sondrio and the Canton of Grisons, leader of the project on the Swiss side.
In partnership with the Lombardy Region, the Sondrio Public Transport Agency and the Municipality of Livigno. The two territories, which are close in terms of geography but also in terms of landscape, history, culture, commercial relations and tourist vocation, have created the Omni-BUS 4.0 project to promote the creation of a modern, integrated and sustainable system of public cross-border Alpine mobility.
Through the strengthening of the public transport network and stimulating the interconnections between the various operators - trains, bus lines, shipping companies and cableway operators - the project aims to increase the number and quality of transport services offered to local users and tourists, promoting the enhancement and accessibility of the territories and favoring travel with low environmental impact.
"Local public transport is an added value for the territory and its economy: in the Canton of Graubünden alone, it contributes 8% to GDP and creates over 3,000 jobs" - recalled Walter G. Finkbohner, delegate of the Canton of Graubünden for Interreg relations on mobility, who on September 22 in Poschiavo moderated the press conference for the presentation of the initiative, opened with greetings from Arturo Plozza, President of the Bernina Region and Kaspar Holward, Director of Valposchiavo Tourism, in the role of hosts. "Having convenient and punctual connections is an incentive to leave the car at home and simplifies everyday life: cooperation is the key to a future under the banner of accessibility and sustainability" - stressed Finkbohner.
Making the need to take further steps to improve the accessibility of the territories even more urgent is the now close and very important appointment with the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, which will see Valtellina and in particular Bormio and Livigno as protagonists, as recalled Elio Moretti, President of the Province of Sondrio. "Public transport is fundamental in a perspective of tourism development and as we approach an appointment of exceptional magnitude, which will certainly attract an important flow of visitors to Switzerland as well."
The topic of mobility is not a new one on this working table and for several years now the Lombardy Region and the Canton of Graubünden have been working closely together to promote the integration of their respective infrastructures and collaboration between local operators, as well as to develop common service protocols, signage and communication so that integration is perceived at every moment of the journey, from booking to completion. Without neglecting the environmental impact of transport, responsible for the emission of large volumes of CO2: car sharing is also an important element in this context, successfully introduced for example in Poschiavo, with the purchase of two electric cars already available to tourists and citizens, but also in Sondrio and Tirano, where the company e-vai operates.
"We work for a modern, integrated and sustainable system of cross-border Alpine public mobility." With these words Maria Cristina Carmeli, Director Agenzia TPL Sondrio, summarized the objectives of the Omni-BUS 4.0 project. In light of the new challenges introduced by the pandemic and the designation of the Olympic territories, "The public transport service must be revised in a new perspective, working on several fronts: cross-border planning for the benefit of commuters and tourists, infrastructural interventions also in the stations, where the journey begins and ends, and at the stops, which represent the visiting card of the transport network even for those who do not use it, accessibility understood in the physical sense but also as a way in which travelers have access to information and purchase tickets, the inclusion of locations that cannot be reached by public transport, the reliability of the service and the management of service disruptions, and last but not least, education for sustainability starting in schools." Included in this plan is a Lombardy Region project for the modernization of stops, major investments for the renewal of the fleet and the RFI Easy Station project, which also involves the Milan-Lecco-Tirano line.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will serve as an accelerator for projects already discussed in previous years, with positive spillover effects for the area even after the event is over. "It will be the most sustainable and memorable Olympics ever. Instead of investing in major works we have opted for a widespread and capillary improvement of existing infrastructure, to meet the demands of the IOC so that the organizational machine of the event can always be connected," explained Aldo Colombo, General Director of Infrastructure, Transport and Sustainable Mobility of the Lombardy Region. More than 1 billion euros has been allocated for the strengthening of infrastructures, distinguishing between essential, connected and contextual works, about half of which (473 million euros) will be allocated to Lombardy. As part of the post-Covid recovery Marshall plan, the Lombardy Region has allocated a further 574.8 million euros that will be used to improve accessibility during the Olympics, with a plan that also includes the purchase of new, more modern trains.
At the center of the reflection on the strengthening of cross-border rail service are the rail networks that lead from Milan to Valtellina: to rationalize the use of existing infrastructure, the Lombardy Region has allocated 96 million euros for railway works, including 66 million for the removal of level crossings and additional 30 million to streamline crossings. "We have 46 new trains on delivery, 26 of which are double-deckers - stressed Fabrizio Bin, Infrastructure, Transport and Sustainable Mobility Officer of the Lombardy Region - 20 of which have been specifically purchased for the Valtellina routes. Imagining the future, I see two fundamental nodes: the realization of two sections of selective doubling, to relieve the lack of rail in the valley, and the extension of the connection with Tirano up to Bormio. Without forgetting that the train is not the only possible means as cross-border public mobility affects all local public transport."
The virtuous example: sustainable mobility in Valchiavenna
On the border between Graubünden and Valtellina, Valchiavenna has always been of crucial importance in Interreg projects. A milestone was already laid in 2015 with the redevelopment of the Chiavenna train station and the surrounding green area; the colored pencils that mark the rail-road interchange shelter are a tribute to the artistic vocation of the Alpine resort and are meant to welcome visitors with a burst of color and creativity. "Today we have a beautiful station, reached with a state-of-the-art train like the Donizetti" - commented the Deputy Mayor of Chiavenna Davide Trussoni. It's a goal reached thanks to the cooperation of several subjects, the demonstration that if we join forces we can make it." This summer has debuted on an experimental basis the Navetta Vallespluga, a connection service between Campodolcino, Madesimo and Motta completely free for locals and tourists. Created to encourage the discovery of the hamlets, it has been appreciated by its first users also thanks to the convenient connections to Chiavenna and Splügen, which allow to travel the entire valley without using the car. The integration of the local road transport service with the PostBus guarantees excellent connectivity with Switzerland both in summer, through the Spluga Pass, and in winter.
The future project: the new bus station of Livigno
Among the partners and promoters of the Omni-BUS 4.0 project, also Livigno is engaging in important infrastructural works in view of the Olympic appointment in 2026. On the mobility front, the Piccolo Tibet has been on the front line for years to encourage the use of public transport "In Italy a bit sacrificed - explained the Deputy Mayor of Livigno Remo Galli - but strategic for the community and tourism. Our Administration has worked a lot on this issue and we are ready for new challenges: improving connectivity and mobility in the village, a topic very dear to young people too, will be the goal of the next 20-30 years and we are open to participate in other projects of this type." In the meantime, Livigno has already taken several steps in this direction: local public transport has been completely free of charge for 25 years, and together with Silvestri Bus, the network of connections to the Engadine has recently been enhanced thanks to direct bus routes to Poschiavo, Zernez, Pontresina and the Bernina Express. Moreover, we are already working with Interreg Omni-BUS 4.0 to give birth to the new bus station, which will be the nerve center of an increasingly accessible and interconnected Livigno, able to welcome the many Italian and foreign visitors with a new Infopoint, booking offices and an ad hoc luggage storage service.
Improving infrastructure for the wellbeing of the community: the Municipality of Tirano
A nodal point of trade between Italy and Switzerland, Tirano will soon see the materialization of the project for a new ring road that, by speeding up the journey to Alta Valtellina, will free the historic center from traffic. "An opportunity to rethink the model of the city we want, so that it can be even more citizen-friendly, as well as tourist-friendly, and a pioneer of soft and sustainable mobility. The contamination of ideas and the exchange of projects are the strength of border places, and these projects demonstrate this at its best." This is the plan illustrated by Franco Spada, Mayor of Tirano, who at the end of the work greeted those present on the square in front of the station: soon they will see it again completely renovated because the desire is to transform it into a space for sharing that today the city lacks, along with the construction of new bike areas and the promotion of a sustainable urban transport system.
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