All Switzerland articles
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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.
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NewsMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn orders more Orion EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Metre-gauge operator Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Stadler a firm contract to supply a further 25 ABeh 8/12 Orion rack electric multiple-units. ‘This order represents a milestone in Stadler’s history and is the largest single order for rack trains that we have ever received’, said ...
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NewsGotthard Base Tunnel repairs could take until September 2024
Source: SBB SWITZERLAND: The 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel may not fully reopen until September 2024, 13 months after a derailed freight train badly damaged the track in the western bore. In an update on November 2 Swiss Federal Railways said the damage to the world’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalBern trams offered to Lviv as Stadler vehicles ready to enter service
SWITZERLAND: Bern operator Bernmobil has announced that the first of 27 Tramlink trams being supplied by Stadler is expected to enter regular service on November 1, with seven expected to be in use on Route 7 by the end of the year. The first public services ...
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NewsPassenger service resumes through Gotthard Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has reintroduced a limited passenger service through the 57 km trans-Alpine Gotthard Base Tunnel. The world’s longest railway tunnel was badly damaged when a freight train derailed on August 10, affecting 8 km of one of the two running bores, and one of ...
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In depthTechnology: SBB extends automated passenger counting
Thanks to data available from automated passenger counting equipment, Swiss Federal Railways is improving occupancy and passenger distribution forecasts, writes Toma Bačić.
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NewsBLS Cargo orders XLoad Vectron locomotives
SWITZERLAND: BLS Cargo has ordered 10 Siemens Mobility Vectron electric locomotives for use on north-south routes from Belgian and Dutch ports to Italy. The multi-system locos ordered on September 25 will be equipped for operation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. They will ...
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NewsTrans-Alpine capacity crunch emerges amid Gotthard Base Tunnel repairs
SWITZERLAND: The Gotthard Base Tunnel and Brenner Pass trans-Alpine rail routes were closed for much of August. Although both have now at least partially reopened, operators are again being forced to assess how best to manage unexpected disruption. Toma Bačić reports.
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NewsSwiss Federal Council approves revised 2050 expansion programme
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Council has approved the Perspektive Bahn 2050 long-term railway strategy, which involves changes to and expansion of projects which have previously been approved.