Chur Bergbahnen: Planning Approval Application For New Brambrueschbahn Ready
The Chur Bergbahnen (BCD) has submitted the application for planning approval to the Federal Office of Transport (BAV) for a preliminary review. The cost estimate is 35 million. With an increase in construction costs of 15.1 percent, BCD is within the maximum budget of 30.5 million.
In the referendum of May 2019, an investment contribution of 24.4 million +/- 25 percent cost accuracy was voted on. This results in a maximum amount of 30.5 million. However, the cost accuracy according to SIA standard 102 does not cover inflation. The cost accuracy of +/- 25 percent was applied by the council because there are 11 years from the 2018 feasibility study date to the 2029 loan expiration. This reflects the naturally occurring changes in the planning status - but not the inflation of 15.1 percent (construction cost index of the federal government for building construction in Eastern Switzerland, as of October 2022). Inflation is treated separately in SIA norms 122 et seq. The referendum took place before the Covid crisis and the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Today, all commitment credits from the public sector are indexed. The BCD appeals to the municipal council to enable a referendum on the subsequent indexation of the investment contribution of 24.4 million +/- 25 percent as soon as possible.
Construction project is ready for execution
According to the Federal Office of Transport (BAV), the construction project is "ready for implementation". The Chur Bergbahnen (BCD) submitted the project to the approval authority in Bern for a preliminary review on June 30, 2023. The BCD is aiming for the definitive submission of the planning approval application by the end of October 2023. The environmental organizations (WWF and Pro Natura) were also "involved at an early stage and in an exemplary manner". They assess the environmentally relevant documents as "very successful". The conflicts and solutions are clearly shown in the usage and control concept. The complex spatial planning procedures involving two municipalities, one region, canton and federal government have been coordinated with the support of the Plessur region. The train supplier Garaventa AG belongs to the Austrian Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group. The market leader is based in Wolfurt in Vorarlberg. It supplies the 40 gondolas of the 10-seater gondola lift. At least half of these will be equipped as special biker gondolas. The complex public bidding process lasted a total of six months and was completed in February 2022. The application for planning permission was then brought to the point where it was ready for implementation.
No cost overrun
The current cost estimate of CHF 35 million takes into account a reserve of CHF 2.5 million. This represents a cost increase of CHF 4.5 million compared to the maximum budgeted CHF 30.5 million. It corresponds to the increase in construction costs of over 15 percent since the referendum four years ago. Compared to the minimum budget of CHF 24.4 million, the project is within budget at CHF 30.5 million, but requires the overall cost accuracy of +25 percent for plan changes according to SIA Norm 102 in the amount of CHF 6.1 million ( adjusted for inflation, incl. reserve). The railway electromechanics costs 3.5 million more than budgeted for 2018 (15.5 instead of 12 million). The valley station 1.6 million (3.7 instead of 2.1 million), the middle station 2.1 million (5.9 instead of 3.8 million). As a pure arrival station, the mountain station will be 1.1 million cheaper (1 million instead of 2.1 million). In the case of railway electromechanics, noise reduction and safety-related adjustments result in additional costs of 1.7 million. 0.9 million each have to be spent on moving the middle station and new technologies to be used. The valley station has to follow the city of Chur's guideline concept for the design of the Stadthalle area and thus generates additional costs of 1.6 million. The middle station on Fülian had to be moved due to customer needs, the development and the landscape. This gives the line a kink. This not only leads to higher costs for the railway electromechanics, but also of 2.1 million for the cubature of the middle station including garage. Overall, the costs for the stations therefore amount to CHF 10.6 million instead of CHF 8 million (adjusted for inflation, including reserve).
Three stations and panoramic restaurant
In March 2021, Peter Bohren and his company BauSpektrum won the public tender as a civil engineer. Peter Bohren is a nationally renowned mountain railway engineer. His most important reference objects are the facilities he planned in Andermatt-Sedrun and the Jungfrau Railways in Grindelwald. His expertise for the planning and the present cost estimate was in demand for the railway electromechanics as well as the three stations and the routing. He was also the most important partner for the two well-known Chur architects Coni Clavuot and Michael Schumacher and their teams. The technical specifications of the mountain railway in connection with its positioning largely determined the necessary cubatures of the stations. The valley station by the Clavuot architects had to follow the city of Chur's guideline concept for the design of the Stadthalle area. The middle station by Ritter Schumacher Architects had to take into account the kink in the route as well as the passenger traffic flows, garage and the two drives as well as the restaurant and terrace on the roof of the middle station. The mountain station on Brambrüesch is designed as a functional arrival situation. Both architectural offices have been selected for submissions. The architectural office Clavuot as the winner of the study contract for the Stadthalle area. Ritter Schumacher with a fee offer based on the BCD test planning. Garage and the two drives as well as the restaurant and terrace on the roof of the middle station. The mountain station on Brambrüesch is designed as a functional arrival situation. Both architectural offices have been selected for submissions. The architectural office Clavuot as the winner of the study contract for the Stadthalle area. Ritter Schumacher with a fee offer based on the BCD test planning. Garage and the two drives as well as the restaurant and terrace on the roof of the middle station. The mountain station on Brambrüesch is designed as a functional arrival situation. Both architectural offices have been selected for submissions. The architectural office Clavuot as the winner of the study contract for the Stadthalle area. Ritter Schumacher with a fee offer based on the BCD test planning.
Very complex project
The new construction project for the Brambrüeschbahn is based on BCD's overall concept for Khur's local mountain. The target groups are families, those who are active in sports, connoisseurs and international tourists who want to enjoy the panoramic view of Fülian. “Uffa go” all year round – for a shorter or longer period. The city of Chur stipulates that the project should not require a contribution to operating costs in the future. In contrast to the new exhibition and event hall in Chur, for example, BCD also pays the interest and depreciation itself. However, this is only possible if the number of guests can be increased by 30 percent to 150,000.
This increase requires the realization of the current new building project: the 10-seater gondola lift in two sections, which is also suitable for bikers, the automated operation (1.2 million), the IBC energy center under the valley station to secure the later construction of the underground car park in the town hall area (1.2 million), the panorama restaurant on Fülian (3.5 million), the e-shuttle on Brambrüesch (0.35 million) , the slide path (0.8 million) as well as the Skills Park and the water and nature playground (0.5 million). Of all this infrastructure, only the gondola is part of the investment loan from the city of Chur. BCD independently secured the financing for the remaining investments totaling 7.55 million.
The very complex project can only be successfully managed because the board of directors of BCD and its partners have the appropriate know-how:
- President Andreas Riedi (auditor),
- Vice President Thomas Mettler (construction contractor),
- Peter Engler (mountain railway expert and representative of the city of Chur) ,
- Marina Crotta (gastronomy),
- Thomas Hensel (politics)
- Jasmin Said Bucher (Churwalden municipal council).
The project is managed by VR delegate Reto Küng (lic. oec. HSG) together with project manager Nina Vuillemin (Master of Arts HSG in corporate management). The board of directors of the BCD (without community representatives) has been active since 2015. The forward strategy for the new Brambrüeschbahn was already developed in 2016. The popular uffa year-round subscription has been available since 2017. During his era, he increased guest frequency by more than 50 percent from 73,000 to 111,000, increased the proportion of summer activities to more than half, increased the proportion of self-generated funds to a record 84 percent and always achieved very positive annual results .
Appeal to City Council
The Audit Committee (GPK) of the city of Chur submitted an application to the municipal council for the meeting on June 22, 2023 to request a report from the city council regarding the Brambrüesch new construction project. This should deal with the areas of costs, corporate governance and 2 million own funds. The BCD is surprised to learn that this application was made without consulting it. She basically understands that the GPK is taking care of this important project for Chur. That is why the BCD personally informed the GPK in March 2022 about the increase in costs for railway electromechanics of CHF 3.5 million. Explanations on the topics of corporate governance and own funds followed by correspondence. Most recently on May 10, 2023. The BCD appeals to the municipal council, to postpone the treatment of the GPK's application to the next meeting on September 5, 2023. In this way, the BCD is granted a legal hearing by being able to personally inform both the GPK and the members of the municipal council about the three questions raised by the GPK by the end of August 2023. On the subject of costs, the BCD has already commissioned a corresponding validation from a consulting firm specializing in cost planning. The issues of corporate governance and equity are regulated with the Chur City Council. A joint meeting will be held in June. At the municipal council meeting in autumn, the course can then be set for a referendum on the subsequent indexation of the investment contribution of 24.4 million +/- 25 percent. The municipal council took note of the plan change costs for railway electromechanics of 3.5 million in October 2022 with the annual report of the BCD. The New Brambrüeschbahn project is just before the finish line. If it is subsequently resized, the operating contribution from the city of Chur, currently CHF 350,000 per year (indexed), cannot be waived. In addition, there are new changes to the planning status and a loss of time over several years, which nullifies the savings achieved.
Control by the city of Chur
The project for the new Brambrüeschbahn is closely monitored by the city of Chur. Based on the corresponding service agreement from August 2020, BCD provides an up-to-date statement of the planning costs every three months. The city of Chur then pays this out in tranches. The approved planning loan is CHF 3 million. By the end of March 2023, BCD had only used CHF 1 million of this. The city of Chur also controls the project through the personal representation of its interests in three committees: Railway expert Peter Engler (former CEO of Lenzerheide Bergbahnen AG and technical director of Davos Klosters Bergbahnen) represents the city of Chur on the BCD board of directors. The steering committee for the three projects Neue Brambrüeschbahn, City Hall area as well as exhibition and event hall is managed by Mayor Urs Marti. City Councilor Sandra Maissen is a member. With regard to the Stadthalle area, the steering committee coordinates the topics of the district plan, archaeological excavations, investor competition, construction stages, underground car park, etc. The city of Chur, with Christopher Richter (Head of Real Estate and Management) and Marco Tscholl (Senior Project Manager Real Estate and Managing Director of the Stadthalle Chur) single seat.
City of Chur reaches agreement
As the BCD was informed in the steering committee, the city council was able to thankfully reach an agreement on a land exchange at the same values with the owner of the Winterberg area behind the valley station. As announced in the voting message for the demolition of the old town hall, the BCD is to be handed over, the land of the valley station and the corridor for the passage of the gondolas are to be given building rights.
