The station is situated on a hillside to the west of the city centre, overlooking the city and Lake Lugano, and the funicular provides a direct link from the station to the city centre below. The residential quarter of Besso lies above and to the west of the station.[4] The station is nicknamed Terrazza del Ticino ("Terrace of Ticino") since the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016.[5]
Until 1927 the station formed a barrier between the city to one side, and the suburb of Besso to the other. However, in that year a road tunnel and pedestrian subway were constructed under the railway, which allowed the extension of the city's trams to Besso. In 1943, Piazzale di Besso was created to the west of the station.[9]
The Lugano tramway closed in the 1950s. The Lugano–Tesserete railway closed in 1967, and the site of its station is now occupied by the regional bus stop and turning circle at the northern end of the station forecourt. The first section of its trackbed now forms a pedestrian ramp down to Via S. Gottardo, and the site of its depot is a car park.[6]
In 1998 a project was initiated to improve the railway station facilities and the surrounding areas, designed by the architect Aurelio Galfetti. This has included the redevelopment of the forecourt of the station, especially in terms of pedestrian safety. In 2007 the station underpass was restored, and a third (northern) platform was constructed, which allows access to the station from the north.
The opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel in December 2020 reduced travel times from Bellinzona to Lugano by 15 minutes.[10]
Facilities
The station is owned and operated by the Swiss Federal Railways. It contains four tracks, arranged with flanking side platforms and a central island platform. The main station buildings are on the platform on the city centre side of the station, but there is also access from the Besso side of the station to the adjacent platform. Both of these platforms, and the island platform between them, are linked by two pedestrian underpasses.[11]
In front of the station is a large forecourt, from which traffic other than buses and taxis is excluded. Local buses of the Trasporti Pubblici Luganesi (TPL) operate from the southern end of the forecourt, whilst regional buses of the AutoPostale and Autolinee Regionali Luganesi operate from the northern end. The station to city funicular, also operated by TPL, runs from a platform directly adjacent to the main station building, descending in tunnel under the forecourt.[11]
The station does not include any freight handling facilities. Freight in the Lugano area is handled through the Lugano Vedeggio freight yard, constructed in the 1970s and accessed via a branch from the Gotthard railway near Taverne-Torricella station.[1]
Funicular seen from main line platform
Regional bus stop on the site of the LT terminus
Lugano main line station building prior to the 2016-17 renovation
All the above services, with the exception of the S90, use the new Ceneri Base Tunnel. All of the Eurocity and InterCity services also use the new Gotthard Base Tunnel to pass under the Alps. Passengers wishing to use the older, higher and more scenic high level Gotthard route across the Alps must either use the daily Gotthard Panorama Express, or change at Bellinzona.[13]
The Lugano Città–Stazione funicular, one of Switzerland's busiest funicular lines, runs continuously from 05:20 to 23:50, seven days a week.[7]
Selected city bus routes of the Trasporti Pubblici Luganesi (TPL), and some regional routes of the AutoPostale and Autolinee Regionali Luganesi (ARL), serve the station. However the main hubs of Lugano's bus network are elsewhere, with TPL and ARL serving a city centre bus station a few minutes walk from the lower terminus of the funicular, and AutoPostale using an underground bus station to the north of the city centre.
^ ab"LPL_Tessin"(PDF) (in Italian). Swiss Federal Railways. Archived(PDF) from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
^"Partenza - Stazione di Lugano" [Departure - Lugano Station] (PDF) (in Italian). Swiss Federal Railways. Archived(PDF) from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
