All Switzerland articles
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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.
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Metro Report InternationalDolderbahn rack railcar unveiled
SWITZERLAND: Stadler has delivered the first of two railcars which it is supplying to re-equip the Dolderbahn rack railway in Zürich.
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NewsSBB tests automated shunting without possessions
SWITZERLAND: SBB and Alstom have carried out a series of trials using a remotely controlled shunting locomotive on tracks that remained open for normal operations. As part of the research trials, 24 locomotive drivers operated a shunter in the marshalling yard at Zürich-Mülligen from a control ...
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NewsSwiss parliament agrees more long-term rail projects
SWITZERLAND: Parliament has approved a number of key changes to the national railway long-term investment programmes known as Ausbauschritte 2025 and 2035. The changes add around SFr3bn to the cost, taking the total to SFr23bn.
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NewsBerner Oberland-Bahnen increases EMU order
SWITZERLAND: Berner Oberland-Bahnen has awarded Stadler a SFr38.6m contract to supply a further four ABeh4/8 three-car electric multiple-units. The order confirmed in early March follows on from a May 2022 contract for six units. Each EMU will have 140 seats, with areas for ...
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Metro Report InternationalDogs and bikes added to ticketing app
TICKETING: Fairtiq has added the ability to buy tickets for dogs and bicycles to its swipe-in, swipe out rail and bus ticketing app covering Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Travellers can check in up to five dogs, five bikes or a combination of both, in addition to the ...
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NewsSwiss railway collaboration to continue
SWITZERLAND: Collaboration between Swiss Federal Railways and the independent BLS is set to continue with the introduction of an additional longer distance service in December 2025. Taking advantage of the doubling of the 4 km Grellingen – Duggingen section in late 2025, BLS will introduce service ...
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NewsSBB orders more Giruno trains to boost Italian services
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has ordered five more Stadler Giruno 250 km/h inter-city trainsets to support a planned expansion of cross-border services to Italy. The SFr170m firm order announced on February 14 has been placed as an option on a SFr970m order for an initial 29 ...
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Metro Report InternationalOrbital tunnels in Zürich’s tram network expansion strategy
SWITZERLAND: ‘We have to invest today in the mobility of tomorrow’, Zürich councillor Michael Baumer said when city transport operator VBZ presented a network expansion strategy which includes plans to increase the number of passengers by 40% by 2040. Baumer said major investments in the tram ...
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Metro Report InternationalBern trams donated to Lviv
UKRAINE: Agreement has been reached for the Swiss city of Bern to donate 11 trams to the city of Lviv, where Switzerland will also support the construction of a 1 km tram route along Mykolaichuka and Shevchenko streets to the emergency hospital.
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Metro Report InternationalBLT begins testing Tina trams
SWITZERLAND: Baselland tram operator BLT has begun testing the first of 25 Tina trams being supplied by Stadler. BLT was the first Swiss customer for the Tina (Total Integrierter Niederflur-Antrieb or total integrated low-floor drive) design, placing a SFr125m order in November 2021. The first of ...
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NewsRail-replacement helicopter service takes off
SWITZERLAND: A rail-replacement helicopter service is being offered while a funicular serving a mountain village is closed for maintenance.