A 6.7 km cross-border railway is under planning between Stabio, in the Tessin Canton and Arcisate in Lombardy. The link will connect directly Lugano to the Milan Malpensa Airport in 50 minutes. On the Italian side, a 985 m tunnel is planned prior to the Gaggiolo station. A bi-national coordination committee has been set up between the Tessin Canton, Lombardy, the Swiss federal railways and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. Work may start end of 2005. Visit www.rfi.it and www.rail.ch 15/02.As part of the preliminary studies on the alignment of the new Gotthard railway link through the Alps, south of Lugano, the feasibility and opportunity analysis of the four alternatives has been commissioned to the consortium RBM (Rapp Trans, Basler & Hofmann and Ingegneria Maggia), that gathers ten companies altogether. The study, awarded by the federal office of transport (OFT) on behalf of the federal department of the environment, transport, energy and communications (DETEC), will analyse the feasibility and opportunity of the four alternatives along the Lugano-Chiasso corridor, three of which plan to cross Lake Lugano under water. A steering group, comprising officials of the OFT, the canton of Ticino and the Swiss railways, will be in charge of following up the choice of the path until the Italian border. The results will be available in end 2008 or early 2009. Visit www.rapp.ch/trans.html, www.bhz.ch and www.im-maggia.chItaly is studying also three options (Cadenazzo-Laveno, Lugano-Laveno, Lugano-Luino) for the new section along the Cadenazzo-Luino-Laveno corridor (the so-called “Gronda Ovest”) and has already released the first results. The Italian experts are currently examining the opportunity of the alternatives. These studies will also be carried out in coordination with Swirterland. Read E-News Weekly 22/2006. 09/08.