All Switzerland articles
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In depthInterview: SBB’s Ducrot prioritises co-operation over competition
Chief Executive of Swiss Federal Railways Vincent Ducrot is keenly aware of the need to keep passenger and freight customers satisfied. Toma Bačić asked how his strategy would achieve that objective.
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NewsGoldenPass Express locomotives ordered
SWITZERLAND: Montreux-Berner Oberland-Bahn has awarded Stadler a contract to supply six custom-made locomotives. The order covers two types: four Ge4/4 900 V DC electric locomotives for push-pull operation of GoldenPass Express passenger trains and two similar Gem4/4 electro-diesel locomotives to haul maintenance trains. The four-axle 3 ...
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NewsSingle-deck EMUs to replace double-deck coaches
SWITZERLAND: Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn has awarded Stadler a contract to supply 17 three-car Flirt EMUs for use on the 13·2 km S-Bahn route S4 between Zürich HB and Sihlwald. These will replace eight sets of life-expired loco-hauled single and double-deck stock on the Sihltalbahn. The ...
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NewsFART train on show at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: Stadler has unveiled a custom-designed electric multiple-unit for the narrow gauge Centovalli railway which runs for 52 km between Locarno in Switzerland and Domodossola in Italy. Stadler is known for its tailor-made trains, and the 1 000 mm gauge EMU can cope with ...
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NewsFrench railway enhancements needed to support European freight modal shift
EUROPE: Combined transport company Hupac says railways in eastern France need to be enhanced to ensure the long-term reliability of north-south European freight services by offering an alternative to routes through Germany. Following three years of preparation, SBB Cargo International, Captrain France, DB InfraGo and SNCF ...
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NewsLocos ordered to lead Swiss rail freight into the future
SWITZERLAND: SBB Cargo and Stadler have signed a framework agreement at InnoTrans covering the supply of up to 129 multi-system electric locomotives, with a firm order for an initial 36. They will be delivered between 2027 and 2035 to replace the ageing Re420 locos and support a ...
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NewsFrequentis to replace SBB communication system
Source: SBB CFF FFS SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has selected Frequentis to supply and maintain technology to replace its current dispatching system and manage communications for more than 11 000 trains per day. The IMS Service BTA platform is intended to enhance communications between control centres, staff ...
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NewsMetre-gauge EMU order increased
EUROPE: Italian operator SSIF has placed a firm order for an additional four-car Stadler electric multiple-unit for use on the 1 000 mm gauge Domodossola – Locarno line which it operates in partnership with its Swiss counterpart FART. This takes SSIF’s total order to four units. ...
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NewsGotthard Base Tunnel fully reopens after derailment damage is repaired
SWITZERLAND: The 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel has fully reopened, 389 days after a derailed freight train caused extensive damage to the slab track in the western bore of the world’s longest railway tunnel. ‘The Gotthard Base Tunnel is not only a connection between German-speaking Switzerland ...
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NewsNarrow-bodied EMUs ordered for Swiss line with restricted clearances
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Stadler a SFr140m contract to supply 11 narrow-bodied electric multiple-units for use on Seetalbahn services from Luzern to Emmenbrücke and Lenzburg. The route between Emmenbrücke and Lenzburg was originally built partly as a roadside light railway, and vehicles are restricted ...
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NewsLiechtenstein railway modernisation project launched
LIECHTENSTEIN: A €100m project has been launched to modernise the 18·5 km single track railway running through Liechtenstein from Feldkirch in Austria to Buchs in Switzerland.
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NewsVectrons ordered for trans-Alpine routes
SWITZERLAND: Südleasing has ordered 20 Siemens Mobility Vectron multi-system electric locomotives which will be leased by SBB Cargo International under a long-term contract with a flexible term. The locos are to be equipped with the XLoad package to increase haulage capacity, and approved for operation in ...
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NewsSBB sets date to restore full access to Gotthard Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: SBB has confirmed that it expects to reopen the Gotthard Base Tunnel fully on September 2, bringing to an end more than a year of disruption caused by a derailment of a freight train in August 2023. According to the national railway, repair works in ...
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NewsBLS undertakes Lötschberger mid-life refurbishment
SWITZERLAND: BLS has returned to service the first of its RABe535 Lötschberger electric multiple-units to undergo mid-life refurbishment at its Bönigen works. The 25 four-car EMUs were supplied by Vevey Technologies and then Bombardier Transportation in 2008-12. The SFr17m refurbishment programme running to 2027 aims to ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn’s replacement Albula tunnel opens
SWITZERLAND: More than 300 guests from the rail industry, politics, business and tourism attended opening celebrations held at both ends of Rhätische Bahn’s replacement Albula tunnel on June 8, ahead of the start of regular services on June 12. The 5 860 m long Albula II ...
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NewsLow floor coaches added to the GoldenPass Express
SWITZERLAND: Low-floor gauge-changing panoramic coaches have been added to enhance the accessibility of GoldenPass Express services between Montreux, Zweisimmen and Interlaken Ost.
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NewsFlirt EMUs ordered for cross-border services
EUROPE: Swiss Federal Railways has exercised an option for Stadler to supply a further 33 Flirt Evo electric multiple-units. These will be used to provide regional services between northwest Switzerland and Alsace in France every 30 min from the end of 2030. The order has been ...
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NewsImprovements to railway serving car-free village near completion
SWITZERLAND: Stadler is delivering new rolling stock as part of the final stage of a programme to increase capacity and accessibility on Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren’s metre-gauge railway. Jungfraubahnen company BLM operates a cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp, where passengers change to a 4 km adhesion railway ...
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NewsRack railway tests collision warning system
SWITZERLAND: Trials with a collision warning system as the first stage in a project to switch to GoA4 driverless operation have begun on the 1 200 mm gauge Rheineck – Walzenhausen line in the canton of St Gallen. Part of the Appenzeller Bahnen group, the 1∙96 ...
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In depthInterview: Eurofima adapts to a changing market
Eurofima Chief Executive Dr Christoph Pasternak explains to Nick Kingsley how the supra-national rolling stock financing body is tweaking its strategy to reduce its reliance on the European state railways that currently make up its shareholders.