The numbers sometimes really speak for themselves. And those who run along the rails say a lot about the attachment of the Mendrisiotto population to rail mobility. Having to deal with traffic and queues every day, in recent years local commuters have shown that they are increasingly choosing the train. Once the Ceneri base tunnel was opened and public transport was strengthened, in just one year (from 2022 to 2023) the District recorded a 23 percent increase in passengers at the stations (and a 14 percent increase on buses). In the first half of 2024 alone, there were 77,800 daily passengers, which represents a record; and of these 10,300 belong to Chiasso (last year there were 9,400), in both directions. But even the Mendrisio airport, as shown by the data from the Mobility Section of the Department of Territory, in 2023 was a point of reference on average for around 4 thousand people per day (in both directions), making it the third in Ticino. It is no coincidence that the one in the far south is “exploding” more than other routes, as the director of Tilo Sa Denis Rossi himself confirmed on Wednesday evening in Chiasso before the assembly of ATA, the Swiss Italian Traffic and Environment Association. A director proud of the “amazing growth” that the company has experienced. Suffice it to say that last year it carried a total of 22.8 million passengers (3.7 more).
Up and down for twenty years
The wave of travellers, in fact, has also ‘overwhelmed’ Tilo, who has been getting used to the records for a while and this year she crosses the finish line of her first twenty years of life. In these two decades, moreover, this small railway company which has FFS and Trenord as shareholders, has not only shortened the distances between the regions straddling the border, but has entered into the habits of the Ticinese. In fact, it fully covers regional traffic in the canton, also ensuring connections with the northern and western quadrants of Lombardy. And the ambition in the near future is to strengthen cross-border routes.
If today there is a limit it is that of the capacity of the 54 trains that circulate with the company’s livery. During peak commuter hours it is not difficult to see overcrowded trains and passengers standing, elbow to elbow. The impression, in the eyes of a group of municipal councilors from AlternativA in Mendrisio, is that “supply is already struggling to follow demand”. A situation that makes local politicians say they are faced with an “unbecoming service for our citizens”. Especially since the FFS timetable change from December 2025 – now under consultation – “does not appear to be intended to respond to the needs” of users.
The proposal: double-deck trains
And here Elia Agostinetti, Gianna Bonina, Giampaolo Baragiola and Monika Fischer Kiskanc put on the table a question that is worth double: a concrete proposal for Tilo and a pressing invitation to the City Hall to mobilize and make its voice heard in time , i.e. “before overcrowding becomes such as to further discourage public transport travellers”. Let’s return, however, to the AlternativA proposal, which suggests introducing double-decker trains along the line, in particular on the Chiasso-Bellinzona route, capable of more than doubling the seats. Convoys which on the cross-border route would instead encounter technical and infrastructural obstacles.
‘There aren’t many alternatives’
In short, is Tilo at risk of becoming a victim of his own success?, we asked Denis Rossi, Ata’s guest. «At the moment we are not in a serious situation in Ticino: in other words, in everyday life we are not yet in a phase of truly overloaded trains – he replied -. It is part of normal regional rail transport to stand for 10 or 15 minutes. If anything, we have some problems in Milan, where the sidewalks sometimes have to be closed to allow travelers to get off and then get on without inconveniencing public order. It is true, however, that we are growing and with important numbers: perhaps in a couple of years this could be the situation. But there are no great alternatives – he pointed out –. The tracks and tracks are what they are: there isn’t much space to add trains. After all, buying rolling stock, ours is binational, is not easy. We cannot have longer convoys: the platforms at the stops are 220 metres. And we cannot foresee the double floor, because we cannot go beyond Chiasso – it cannot pass under the Monte Olimpino tunnel, ed. -. The solutions, therefore, are not many. We do everything we can in the face of infrastructure constraints and supply times.”
Two ideas for the future
Taking action will still be important, also because the aim is to increase the cross-border attractiveness of the train. Tilo, in fact, is preparing to imagine the approach between Ticino and Lecco, a single track line that will be electrified. The project has already received the green light from Trenord and the Lombardy Region and the funding, which is based on the Pnrr – the national post-Covid recovery and resilience plan – is available today. «We are at the level of ideas, but we are working on it», noted Rossi. The construction site, in fact, will start in 2025: in 2027 the first section from Albate to Molteno will be electrified and the following year the one from Molteno to Lecco.
A second ‘idea’ concerns the Mendrisio-Varese-Malpensa line and a fast connection to the airport, taking into consideration a Regioexpress-style service and taking advantage of the work in progress, which will be completed in about a year and a half and will create a link towards the Sempione and one towards Gallarate. In other words, a new small revolution in railway traffic.
