The French authorities have re-opened both tubes of the 1.4-km Tunnel du Vuache on the A40 motorway at 06:00 on 18 November 2025, restoring full capacity on the main road corridor between Geneva and Lyon just ahead of the winter travel peak. The eastbound tube towards Chamonix and the Swiss border had been closed since an HGV fire on 11 June, forcing all traffic—including Swiss-bound freight—into a contraflow and lengthy detours.
Rehabilitation works: Over 700 metres of tunnel lining were cleaned and re-sealed; 228 safety devices—from jet fans to CCTV and emergency cabinets—were replaced. Two weeks of systems tests convinced the Haute-Savoie prefecture that ventilation, lighting and fire-suppression now meet EU Directive 2004/54 standards.
![Key Cross-Border Artery Re-opens: Tunnel du Vuache on A40 Restored Five Months After Truck Fire]()
Why this matters for Swiss mobility: • Geneva’s logistics clusters and cross-border commuters had faced average delays of 25–40 minutes at peak; those bottlenecks now disappear. • International removal firms and corporate relocation suppliers moving household goods between France and western Switzerland regain a predictable route. • Hauliers serving Geneva’s airport and the Nyon–Lausanne biotech corridor can resume ADR (dangerous-goods) traffic through the tunnel, trimming fuel and toll costs.
Next steps: ATMB, the concessionaire, plans rolling night closures in March 2026 to install upgraded fire-detection sensors but says disruption will be minor. Mobility managers should advise drivers that normal speed limits (110 km/h cars, 90 km/h HGVs) are reinstated and that exceptional-width convoy permits are again available.
Strategic context: The A40/Vuache link is part of the E62 trans-European network feeding Geneva, so its reopening bulks large in winter tourism flows to Swiss ski resorts and in air-cargo trucking between Lyon Saint-Exupéry and Zurich.
Rehabilitation works: Over 700 metres of tunnel lining were cleaned and re-sealed; 228 safety devices—from jet fans to CCTV and emergency cabinets—were replaced. Two weeks of systems tests convinced the Haute-Savoie prefecture that ventilation, lighting and fire-suppression now meet EU Directive 2004/54 standards.
Why this matters for Swiss mobility: • Geneva’s logistics clusters and cross-border commuters had faced average delays of 25–40 minutes at peak; those bottlenecks now disappear. • International removal firms and corporate relocation suppliers moving household goods between France and western Switzerland regain a predictable route. • Hauliers serving Geneva’s airport and the Nyon–Lausanne biotech corridor can resume ADR (dangerous-goods) traffic through the tunnel, trimming fuel and toll costs.
Next steps: ATMB, the concessionaire, plans rolling night closures in March 2026 to install upgraded fire-detection sensors but says disruption will be minor. Mobility managers should advise drivers that normal speed limits (110 km/h cars, 90 km/h HGVs) are reinstated and that exceptional-width convoy permits are again available.
Strategic context: The A40/Vuache link is part of the E62 trans-European network feeding Geneva, so its reopening bulks large in winter tourism flows to Swiss ski resorts and in air-cargo trucking between Lyon Saint-Exupéry and Zurich.
