Thanks to everyone who turned-up prompt, Monday evening, making this event a success.  


It was a pleasure to be greeted by our host and Guide (Guido von Arx), who started the evening off with some short Videos about the latest Infrastructure developments, followed then by a tour into the nighbouring tunnels, platforms and SBB railway estate, giving us a wonderul insight into this impressive station.


We saw for our own eyes, how the vacant tunnel (previously conceived for cars), will now be used as a Cycle route (under) the City.  In terms of construction, we heard heard how the concrete Pillars must go down 40m into the ground, to stop the estate from moving (it's technically built on Marshland, adjoining the River Limmat).  Our guide was both knowledgable and entertaining, pointing out some little known facts, like how the sight-impaired are using  heat spots at the bottom of platform escalators, along with Brail markings to anable them to know exactly where they are standing. I now know for example, that the Train station is the property of the Kanton, and as such, they have their own set of rules and requirements, right down to the advertising / branding requirements, dictating how the shop fronts may be displayed.


Following a whisk tour of this now very large estate, we learnt how Zurich is the most densely populated Railway complex in the World, with 6,000 apartments soon to be made avaialble after all the construction finishes - the average cost of "normal" apartments is currently 2 Million CHF, so keeping up the Swiss tradition of being one of the most expensive place to live !


We finally "popped-out" from one of the side doors, leading to the "Christmas Market" in the main hall, after coming past the vast & complex heating / cooling systems, which we learned take / give back heat (max temperature difference of 4 degrees) to the adjoing River Limmat. A good Gluhwein was enjoyed by all...


Thanks again to our guide, Guido von Arx, who made this a tour such a wonderful experience (don't forget to use your free 5 CHF voucher, anywhere in the Bahhof Shopping Malls)


Best regards, Jeff

Chair - IET Switzerland