Lake Maggiore navigation, handover from SNL to FART not yet secured

The future of navigation on Lake Maggiore remains undefined, as Councillor of State Claudio Zali prepares to leave the Ticino government. The transfer of the Locarno-Magadino public transport line from the Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano (SNL) to the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi (FART), announced by Zali on July 3, is not yet guaranteed: approval from Rome is still missing.

According to information gathered by SEIDISERA, the Federal Office of Transport would like the handover settled by the end of September, while FART is aiming for certainty as early as the end of August. These deadlines coincide almost exactly with Zali's departure from government, set for September 30, leaving open the question of how far the dossier can advance before the change at the top of the Department of Territory.

For now, there are no signs of a rethink on the solution chosen by the canton. The intention to entrust the line to FART remains in place and is reportedly shared by the Federal Office of Transport, as well as viewed favourably on the Italian side.

The sticking point: Italian approval

Under the 1992 convention between Switzerland and Italy, the concession for navigation on Lake Maggiore belongs to GGNL, a company owned by the Italian state. To operate on Swiss waters, a new operator must therefore sign a management contract with the Italian company, as previously happened with SNL and as is now sought with FART. Rome has agreed to open a working table, but the formal step is still missing.

The picture is further complicated by SNL's appeal to the cantonal administrative court against the government's decision. The ongoing dispute is reportedly making the Italian ministry cautious, as it wants to avoid ending the year with an open case. One option under consideration is for SNL itself to terminate the contract.

Public financing is also at stake: the roughly 1.3 million francs the canton pays annually for the line is expiring, and the canton reportedly does not intend to renew it for the Lugano-based company. That choice would make it very difficult to continue the service under current conditions. The decision to stop ordering the service from SNL has reportedly also been confirmed internally by the Federal Office of Transport.

Something could move as early as the coming days at the level of the Ticino government. If timing proves too tight for a transition at the start of the year, a fallback option remains on the table: being ready for the start of the high season, around Easter, gaining a few months to close the dossier for good.