The Gateway

SHOW #6 NEW (airs 30/11/2011)

Zurich

Switzerland has the world's densest rail network and Zurich main station sits right at the heart of it. First opened in 1847, it is the largest station in Switzerland, providing access to trains travelling to Germany, Spain, France, Italy and beyond.

Zurich Hauptbahnhof runs like clockwork - its efficiency is a function of time. And in a country famous for its iconic watch brands, it is hardly surprising that Swiss trains are renowned for their punctuality. Built on three layers, trains pull in and out of the station virtually every minute; 350,000 passengers depart, arrive or change trains here daily.

Prominently featured will be the iconic station clocks produced by Mondaine, especially designed by Swiss Railways. There are dozens of them throughout Zurich station with their second hands all stopping momentarily at the hour mark to make it easy to see when trains are leaving "on the dot."

The Swiss are amongst the world's top train travellers, second only to the Japanese - last year alone each and every one of them travelled on average 2.000 miles by rail. However, in many ways, they have become a victim of their own success. With half of all journeys taking place during the morning or evening rush hours, the signature double-decker trains are struggling to cope with the flow of passengers. It's estimated that by 2030, demand will increase by 50 per cent across the country.

To improve its capacity, the station is undergoing a bold transformation in response to growing demand. Construction is well underway on new bridges, underground tracks and platforms for the new cross-city or Durchmesserlinie (DML): this is Switzerland's biggest urban project.

Becky Anderson heads underground where a hole the size of two football fields has been dug to make room for a new section of the station. The new tracks will double the capacity of the hub and are designed to ease the pressure on the over-burdened network around Zurich.