Editing Gotthard Base Tunnel (section)

==Politics==
[[File:Porta Alpina.jpg|thumb|This access at Sedrun was to have served the [[Porta Alpina]] station in the middle of the tunnel. The project was abandoned for cost reasons.]]
The realization of the GBT, as the centrepiece of the [[NRLA]], is also a prototypical example of [[direct democracy]] in Switzerland. In order to accomplish this mega-project the [[Politics of Switzerland|political institutions]] also had to overcome many parliamentary sessions and several major [[voting in Switzerland|popular votes]], including the following:<ref name=NRLAPolitics>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/overview/politics/ |title=Politics |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2016 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>

* 27 September 1992, '''NRLA proposal''' ([[mandatory referendum]]): The final proposal by the [[Swiss Federal Council|Federal Council]] was accepted by 63.6% yes votes (declined by 1+2/2 cantons, turnout 45.9%)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/overview/politics/events/ereignis/yes-to-the-nrla//?no_cache=1 |title=Yes to the NRLA |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=1 December 1992 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/rf/cr/1991/19910236.html |title=Bundesbeschluss über den Bau der schweizerischen Eisenbahn-Alpentransversale (Alpentransit-Beschluss) – Chronologie |publisher=Swiss Federal Chancellery, Swiss Federal Council, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=14 June 2016 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>
* 20 February 1994, '''[[Alps Initiative]]''' ([[Popular initiative (Switzerland)|federal popular initiative]]): Initiated by a few private people with the goal to protect the Alpine environment from the negative impact of traffic was accepted<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/explore-600-national-votes_how-direct-democracy-has-grown-over-the-decades/41481992 |title=How direct democracy has grown over the decades |author=Duc-Quang Nguyen |work=swissinfo.ch – a branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation [[SRG SSR]] |series=Explore 600 national votes |date=6 June 2016 |publisher=Swiss Broadcasting Corporation [[SRG SSR]] |location=Bern, Switzerland |access-date=24 July 2016}}</ref> by 51.9% yes votes (declined by 7 cantons, turnout 41%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/overview/politics/events/ereignis/yes-to-the-alps-initiative//?no_cache=1 |title=Yes to the Alps Initiative |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2016 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref><ref name=AI>{{cite web |url=https://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/vi/vis204.html |title=Volksinitiative 'zum Schutze des Alpengebietes vor dem Transitverkehr' |publisher=Swiss Federal Chancellery, Swiss Federal Council, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=14 June 2016 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> The initiative was accepted despite the recommendation by the Federal Council from 12 February 1992 to decline the initiative without any counterproposal,<ref name=AI/><ref>{{cite periodical |url=http://www.amtsdruckschriften.bar.admin.ch/viewOrigDoc.do?id=10052178 |title=Botschaft über die Volksinitiative "zum Schutze des Alpengebietes vor dem Transitverkehr" vom 12. Februar 1992 |id=BBI 1992 II 788 |periodical=Bundesblatt 1992 |volume=II |issue=13 |publisher=The Swiss Federal Council |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=12 February 1992 |format=PDF |language=de, fr, it |access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref> and despite the parliamentary  recommendation (both chambers) from 18 June 1993 to decline the initiative.<ref name=AI/><ref>{{cite periodical |url=https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/federal-gazette/1993/index_26.html |title=Bundesbeschluss über die Volksinitiative "zum Schutze des Alpengebietes vor dem Transitverkehr" vom 18. Juni 1993 |id=BBI 1993 II 888 |periodical=Bundesblatt 1993 |volume=II |issue=26 |publisher=The Swiss Federal Council |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=18 June 1993 |format=PDF |language=de, fr, it |access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref>
* 29 November 1998, '''Public Transport Funding''' ([[mandatory referendum]]): A total budget of CHF 30&nbsp;billion for several public transport projects was accepted by 63.5% yes votes (declined by 1+3/2 cantons, turnout 38.3%); "the NRLA is to receive CHF 13.6&nbsp;billion"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/overview/politics/events/ereignis/yes-to-public-transport-funding//?no_cache=1 |title=Yes to public transport funding |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2016 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/rf/cr/1998/19980163.html |title=Bundesbeschluss über Bau und Finanzierung von Infrastrukturvorhaben des öffentlichen Verkehrs – Chronologie |publisher=Swiss Federal Chancellery, Swiss Federal Council, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=29 November 1998 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>
* 21 May 2000, '''Bilateral EU Agreements&nbsp;/ 40-tonne Trucks&nbsp;/ Heavy Traffic Fee''' ([[optional referendum]]): As part of a whole package of several bilateral agreements with the EU the Swiss also accepted by 67.2% yes votes (declined by 2 cantons, turnout 48.3%) the shift of an upper limit for trucks from {{convert|28|t|e3lbs|abbr=off}} to {{convert|40|t|e3lbs|abbr=off}}, but at the same time the EU agreed to a new heavy-traffic fee, which would also be used to finance the NRLA<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/overview/politics/events/ereignis/the-end-of-the-28-tonne-limit//?no_cache=1 |title=The end of the 28-tonne limit |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2016 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/rf/cr/1999/19994592.html |title=Bundesbeschluss über die Genehmigung der sektoriellen Abkommen zwischen der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft einerseits und der Europäischen Gemeinschaft sowie gegebenenfalls ihrer Mitgliedstaaten oder der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft andererseits – Chronologie |publisher=Swiss Federal Chancellery, Swiss Federal Council, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=1 July 2002 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>
* 17 December 2003, '''Ceneri Base Tunnel''' (parliamentary session): The controversial funding of the [[Ceneri Base Tunnel]] was finally passed by parliamentary approval only; the possibility for an optional referendum was not raised by any political groups, nor by the public. The then-in-charge transport minister, Federal Councilor [[Moritz Leuenberger]], was quoted as saying "This is the only way to make the railway <nowiki>[the Gotthard axis]</nowiki> a flat line between Basel and Chiasso."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alptransit-portal.ch/en/overview/politics/events/ereignis/yes-to-the-ceneri-base-tunnel//?no_cache=1 |title=Yes to the Ceneri Base Tunnel |publisher=Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2016 |quote=Federal Councilor Moritz Leuenberger: «This is the only way to make the railway a flat line between Basel and Chiasso.» |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>