Switzerland clears path for Lausanne’s new M3 metro line

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Switzerland has formally approved construction and operation of Lausanne’s new M3 automated metro line, a 3.5 kilometer underground link intended to relieve pressure on the city’s saturated public transport network and support fast-growing districts in the north-west.

Federal green light for a third Lausanne metro line

According to federal communications published on 19 June 2026, the Swiss Federal Council has granted the infrastructure concession required to build and operate the M3 metro in Lausanne. The decision authorizes a new fully automated, double-track line that will connect Lausanne’s main railway station with the Blécherette district in the north-west of the city.

Project documents show that the planned M3 will run entirely underground over a distance of about 3.5 kilometers. The line is expected to serve six stations between the station area and the urban fringe, creating a new high-capacity north–south axis that complements the existing M1 and M2 metro lines.

The concession decision follows several years of planning, federal plan approval for key sections, and a public consultation process on the operating rights for the future line. Transport observers in French-speaking Switzerland describe the move as a decisive step that shifts the M3 project from planning into the implementation phase.

Funding package combines federal and cantonal investment

Publicly available information indicates that the M3 line forms part of the Lausanne–Morges agglomeration transport program, a long-term investment framework that coordinates major public transport and urban development schemes in the region. Within this program, the new metro is classified among the strongest urban public transport axes designed to concentrate growth around high-capacity corridors.

Under the current financing structure, the federal government plans to contribute around 144 million Swiss francs to the M3 through its agglomeration transport fund, excluding inflation and value-added tax. The overall cost of the new infrastructure is estimated at approximately 1.3 billion francs, with the Canton of Vaud bearing the bulk of the remaining investment and the city and regional operators also participating.

Earlier political decisions at cantonal level had already secured substantial funding to modernize Lausanne’s existing M2 metro and prepare for the M3 extension. Regional media reporting highlights that local authorities have framed the combined metro investments as essential to keeping pace with population growth and shifting more journeys away from private cars.

Design focuses on capacity, automation and connectivity

The planned M3 line is designed as a fully automated metro, in line with Lausanne’s existing M2, which is already operated without drivers and relies on advanced train control technology. Project material emphasizes that double-track tunnels along the entire route are intended to allow frequent services and robust operations, a contrast with some earlier single-track sections elsewhere in the regional network.

The new line is expected to connect directly with major transport hubs in central Lausanne, including the main railway station and the Flon interchange area, where metro lines, regional trains and buses intersect. This configuration is intended to shorten travel times between the station, the city center and emerging neighborhoods in the north-west, while also redistributing passenger flows that currently concentrate on the already busy M2.

Technical studies prepared for the authorities underline the importance of managing passenger circulation at stations serving both the M2 and the future M3. Analyses of pedestrian flows have explored how to dimension platforms, corridors and access points so that the new line can absorb strong peak-hour demand without creating bottlenecks underground.

Relieving pressure on a saturated metro network

Lausanne’s existing metro system has been experiencing sustained growth in ridership for more than a decade, with the M2 line in particular described in several Swiss media reports as operating close to saturation during rush hours. The city’s steep topography and dense central districts mean that high-capacity rail-based transport is often the only practical way to move large numbers of passengers efficiently.

In response, the region has launched a sequence of upgrades and extensions, including rolling stock modernization and new signalling for the M2, alongside the development of the M3. Information released by industry partners involved in the M2 upgrade indicates that new train control systems are expected to support shorter headways and higher capacity, which will dovetail with the extra relief provided by the M3 once it enters service.

For residents and visitors, the M3 is projected to open up faster connections between railway services, business districts and residential areas that are currently dependent on surface buses. Urban planners have linked the project to broader goals of reducing congestion, improving air quality and supporting car-free mobility in the Lausanne basin.

Long-term urban development around Blécherette and beyond

The northern terminus of the future M3 at Blécherette is embedded in a wider urban development strategy for Lausanne’s north-west. Planning documents and advocacy from transport-focused civic groups describe the area as a growth corridor, with new housing, workplaces and sports or event facilities either planned or already under construction.

By anchoring a fully automated metro line in this district, local and cantonal authorities aim to shape development around public transport rather than car access. Observers note that this approach follows a broader Swiss planning tradition in which large-scale real estate projects and higher densities are closely tied to high-frequency rail lines.

The timeline for completing the M3 has not yet been formally updated in federal communications following the concession decision. However, earlier technical presentations suggested a construction start during the middle of the decade and a commissioning horizon in the early to mid-2030s. The new approval is widely regarded as a key milestone that makes those long-discussed projections more tangible for residents watching Lausanne’s skyline change.