A navigable canal to connect Lake Geneva to Lake Neuchâtel
© 2012 EPFL
SUMMER SERIES - Student projects (5): An EPFL civil engineering student has envisioned a 38 km long navigation canal between Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Geneva. It is designed to be punctuated by three tunnels, locks and even a boat lift.
For his master thesis, Fränz Zeimetz considered several trajectories for building a canal between Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Geneva. He finally chose a segment between Préverenges and Grandson. Such waterway would offer, in his opinion, environmental advantages as well as economic transportation costs. It would also constitute a major touristic attraction. The 38 km long work of art’s estimated cost is 2.5 billion francs...
Remembering the Entreroches canal
The student from the Laboratory of Hydraulic Constructions (LCH) has, in a way, revisited the original concept behind the Entreroches canal. Currently disused, some of its course is still visible in some places between Cossonay and Morges.
The Entreroches canal was the answer to the old European dream of a waterway linking the North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The arrival of the railway combined with the lack of money during the 19th century ended this dream abruptly.
Navigation path
Departure takes place on the harbor of Grandson, on Lake Neuchâtel. A first tunnel takes you into the Orbe plain which is crossed in the open. Then another tunnel allows you to slide unnoticed under the Mormont hill between Yverdon-les-Bains and Lausanne. In Daillens, the boat gets into a lift and continues its way underground. 6 hours later, you arrive at Lake Geneva in Préverenges.
A 78 meters lift
Boat lifts make up for an interesting alternative to locks when there is a marked difference in elevation in the water. They have been built in several places in the world such as France, Belgium, China and Russia. They are designed to respond to the particular features of the geographical areas where they operate. The one imagined in the canal between Neuchâtel and Morges would be a large well, drilled in Daillens. It would allow boats to traverse 78 meters of altitude nonstop.
The Venoge River’s protected course
Out of the 38 km of the canal, three-quarters pass through tunnels. This is partially caused by the presence of architectural barriers – since there are several towns along its way and it is not always possible to get round them, not to mention too costly. Environmental protection laws forced Fränz Zeimetz to reconsider some of his choices: "Take the Venoge River for instance: a law dating from 1997 states that it is forbidden to change its natural course, to touch its watershed and to transform its tributaries. Therefore, the best way to get there was underground. "
Interactive Tunnels
Since the canal is designed to transport leisure boats as well as cargo, the student decided to trade his engineering skills for architectural creativity. He thus devised an original way to animate this long underground journey. "We could project images on the tunnels’ walls showing the outdoor landscapes we are going through or we could even tell the story of the Entreroches canal… why not?" An engineer has the right to dream.
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