{"id":39531,"date":"2025-04-14T07:53:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T07:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open-up.ch\/?p=39531"},"modified":"2025-04-14T08:20:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T08:20:33","slug":"stakeholder-journey-to-the-matterhorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open-up.ch\/en\/stakeholder-journey-to-the-matterhorn\/","title":{"rendered":"Stakeholder journey to the Matterhorn"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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14.04.2025 |<\/p>\n

Stakeholder journey to the Matterhorn<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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With the upcoming construction of the Mattertal Tunnel between T\u00e4sch and Zermatt, open up is supporting the stakeholder communication of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway in a project that will have an impact far beyond national borders. Our colleague Evelyne Oechslin<\/a> was happy to provide our German partner agency Sympra GmbH (GPRA)<\/a> in the international Public Relations Network (PRN)<\/a> with information on this.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Evelyne, a major infrastructure project is planned in the Matter Valley. What\u2019s behind it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For over 130 years, the Matter Valley has been accessible by train. Since then, the once small mountain farming village of Zermatt became one of the world\u2019s most popular tourist destinations. However, due to the unique topography of the Matter Valley, natural events like avalanches and rockfalls repeatedly block the route between T\u00e4sch and Zermatt. This is how the car-free holiday destination gets cut off from the outside world time and again, as the road, which only residents are permitted to use, is often buried in addition to the railway. Construction of the Mattertal Tunnel is scheduled to begin in 2028, aiming to provide a safe, year-round public transportation connection.<\/p>\n

Clear path to the Matterhorn: How are you preparing communication efforts?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rail connection between T\u00e4sch and Zermatt is part of a larger expansion of Switzerland\u2019s railway network. Improving the Matter Valley\u2019s transportation safety benefits the entire region and is crucial for tourism; the project is funded by the Federal Office of Transport. In the future, the train will run every 15 minutes and travel the route in half the current time, as the rack railway will no longer be needed. There are numerous advantages \u2013 but naturally, many concerns as well surrounding the tunnel\u2019s construction. Therefore, our focus is on dedicated stakeholder communication: explaining the project and its benefits in detail through a website and blog, and involving all affected parties. Currently, we\u2019re especially focused on the residents in and around T\u00e4sch, as they\u2019ll be most impacted by the tunnel\u2019s construction in and of itself. Excavation, dust, noise \u2013 all of this can overshadow the project\u2019s advantages. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to open up dialogue from the beginning and regularly offer forums, like town hall meetings, to welcome suggestions and be genuinely open to them.<\/p>\n

Are you presenting finished plans, or do citizens really have a say?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Citizens\u2019 suggestions are sincerely listened to and considered, and the pros and cons of the project are openly discussed. At least once a year, there\u2019s an informational event for residents, where the project managers from the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway report on the project\u2019s status as well as the planned course and answer questions. This exchange works very well, as people in Switzerland are accustomed to democratic processes and making their voice heard. Whether it\u2019s the future of a cow pasture or vibrations near a beehive during test drilling \u2013 no concern is too small, and honest solutions are sought out.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Matterhorn guarantees worldwide interest. What role do you, as a Swiss agency, play in the international narrative?<\/strong><\/p>

In this project, we approach communication from the inside out, meaning that we are currently focusing on local stakeholders. After construction begins, the project will certainly attract broader interest, and there will be plenty of fascinating stories surrounding the build. The tunnel\u2019s opening, planned for 2035, will be a pivotal moment for both national and international communication. It\u2019s also certain that as time progresses, the communication surrounding the project will become more emotionally engaging. The spotlight will increasingly be on individuals connected to this monumental Matterhorn Gotthard Railway project, and there will be stunning images of the tunnel construction.<\/p>

How do you make a project feel alive when it doesn\u2019t even exist yet?<\/strong><\/p>

On the website mattertal-tunnel.ch<\/a>, there is background information, plans, and a timeline. Animation is an essential communication tool in this case, allowing interested viewers to take a\u00a0virtual ride<\/a> through the tunnel. Even now, at this early stage when nothing is visible, this creates a sort of emotional connection. The blog also gives insights to stories \u2013 including historical ones, like how difficult it used to be to travel through the Matter Valley before the connection by railway existed. We\u2019re also supporting this landmark project, which comes with a price tag of half a billion Swiss francs, on social media. Our goal is to give people the chance to feel connected to the project. If, in the end, as many people as possible say, “This works for me. I\u2019m willing to deal with the inconveniences for now because I know it will benefit the region,\u201d then we\u2019ve done our job well.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The interview was conducted by Anahita Shakour-Wiegand from Sympra<\/a> and published by the Public Relations Network (PRN)<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    With the upcoming construction of the Mattertal Tunnel between T\u00e4sch and Zermatt, open up is supporting the stakeholder communication of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway in a project that will have an impact far beyond national borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":39536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agency-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStakeholder journey to the Matterhorn - open up<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With the upcoming construction of the Mattertal Tunnel between T\u00e4sch and Zermatt, open up is supporting the stakeholder communication of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway in a project that will have an impact far beyond national borders.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.open-up.ch\/en\/stakeholder-journey-to-the-matterhorn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stakeholder journey to the Matterhorn - 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