Ruedi Walti

The underground Löwenstrasse transit station is the centrepiece of the ‘Durchmesserlinie’ cross-city rail link. With four tracks and two platforms, it lies beneath tracks 4 to 9 of the upper-level station. At its eastern end, the platforms extend under the transverse hall of the historic main station, before the tunnel descends beneath the River Limmat towards Oerlikon. To the west, a ramp reconnects with the existing rail network above the Langstrasse underpass and continues into the lines running through the Limmat Valley. The layout takes its cue from the existing Museumstrasse regional station. The key difference is that Löwenstrasse features two 420-meter-long central platforms, enabling it to accommodate longer intercity trains. Above the platforms, a shopping level stretches east and west, interrupted only by the River Sihl flowing beneath the main station. Three cross connections – the widened Sihlquai passage, the new Gessnerallee passage, and the extension of the existing Löwenstrasse passage – provide short transfer routes, linking the station with other areas of the main station and adjoining parts of the city.
 
Spatial Organisation and Access
Clear, straightforward accesses ensure good orientation in the underground complex. Generously dimensioned passages and halls allow smooth passenger flow. The three distinct levels – platform, shopping, and the historic overground hall – are separated spatially, a differentiation reinforced by their material expression, creating readily identifiable locations.
 
The underground shopping level (Station and ShopVille) connects adjacent urban spaces and functions – Bahnhofplatz, Bahnhofstrasse, Europaallee, the River Sihl, bus terminal, Landesmuseum, Platzspitz park and nearby tram stations – and forms a continuous urban district of its own. With high spatial quality and economic significance, it functions as an autonomous part of the city. The name “RailCity,” once coined for branding, has become tangible reality.
 
Vertical Conveyance Cores
Stairs, escalators and lifts are grouped into continuous solid cores running through all levels. Their geometry responds to the surrounding built context, creating individual volumes with specific structural functions, for example supporting the listed station roof. Because the new track layout could not be aligned with the platforms above, a special solution was devised for the lifts: slanted shafts leading from the Löwenstrasse platforms. These inclined lift casings stand out as visible markers of the geometric constraints imposed by decades of infrastructure development.
 
Shopping Level as Circulation Space
The subterranean spaces are designed to be clear, bright and welcoming. Smooth, light-toned surfaces transform the shopping level into a modern circulation-oriented retail environment. A uniform material and lighting concept applies to all halls and passages. Robust finishes and a restrained colour scheme create a neutral backdrop. Architecture, deliberately understated, leaves room for shopfronts, signage, advertising and the movement of people to bring colour and vibrancy.
 
Platform Level as Waiting Rooms
The two platform complexes, together with the installation galleries, form islands of light within the underground station. In contrast, the tunnel walls, tracks and overhead structures remain dark. Strip lighting runs along the outer rims of the galleries, its warm colour temperature reinforcing the sense of centrality and focus in the waiting areas.

Architecture / Design Firm:
Dürig AG, Zurich
Armin Baumann, Armin Brantschen, Irene Breckner, Bruce A. Buckingham, Gilbert Cornuz, Joana Domagalski, Jean-Pierre Dürig, Judith Dürr, Otto Fitzi, Sandra Handte, Dominik Isler, Isabelle Kaufmann, Simon Kempf, Bettina Kimmig, Luiza Kitanishi, Katharina Labhart, Sacha Laue, Tobias Noe, Benedict Ramser, Sandra Simic, Simone Trottmann, Martin Wengle
 
 
Planning Team:
 
General contractor:
uas unternehmen für architektur und städtebau ag, Zurich
 
Overall project management, civil engineer:
ig zalo (Basler & Hofmann AG, Esslingen und Pöyry Infra AG, Zurich)
 
Quantity surveillance and site supervision:
Caretta + Weidmann Baumanagement AG, Zuerich
 
Building services, fire protection, building physics:
Amstein + Walthert AG, Zurich
 
Acoustics:
BAKUS GmbH, Zurich
 
Water supply of fire protection:
IWAG Ingenieure AG, Zurich
 
Infrastructural facilities:
hrwehrle, Schachen
 
Railway engineering:
ig züriBT, Zurich