All Switzerland articles
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NewsVectron locos ordered with XLoad to increase Alpine capacity
SWITZERLAND: SüdLeasing has placed an order for Siemens Mobility to supply and maintain 20 Vectron multisystem locomotives equipped with the XLoad package to increase the locos’ haulage capability. The 160 km/h locos will be delivered from early 2024 and leased by SBB Cargo International under a ...
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News
Consultation starts on Swiss Bahn 2050 programme
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Council has put forward proposals for a further long-term programme of investment in the national rail network. Enhancement of the existing network to allow more intensive use is now seen as preferable to starting more major infrastructure projects.
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In depth
European policy: Capacity directive could be game-changer
With legislation being considered to enhance capacity on Europe’s rail network, Murray Hughes asks Forum Train Europe Managing Director Edgar Schenk and Senior Project Manager Sebastián Čarek how this would improve rail’s ability to compete against road and air.
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News
Wagon leasing company Wascosa acquired
SWITZERLAND: Funds managed by Swiss Life Asset Managers and Vauban Infrastructure Partners have acquired wagon leasing company Wascosa from Philipp Müller and his family. The new owners said the ‘highly attractive and resilient’ rail market was benefiting from ‘structural tailwinds driven by an increased modal share’. ...
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News
Mont-Blanc Express trains ordered
EUROPE: Stadler is to supply seven rack-equipped electric multiple-units for Mont-Blanc Express services on the 1 000 mm gauge line between Martigny in Switzerland and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet in France. The two-car EMUs will be equipped for 850 V DC overhead and third rail power supplies. They ...
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News
SBB orders Giruno trainsets for services to Germany
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has placed a SFr250m firm order for seven more Stadler Giruno trainsets for use on cross-border services to Germany. Announcing the order on June 15, Stadler said demand for rail travel to Germany had been increasing steadily before the pandemic, and had ...
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News
Winner of 510-train framework contract confirmed
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Administrative Court has rejected Alstom’s challenge to the decision by Swiss Federal Railways, Thurbo and RegionAlps to award Stadler a framework contract for the supply of up to 510 electric multiple-units. The tendering process began in May 2020, with SBB and its two ...
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News
Street-running railway goes underground
SWITZERLAND: Chemin de fer Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher’s 1 km tunnel from the underground Lausanne-Flon terminus to Lausanne-Chauderon has been extended by 1·7 km to Union-Prilly, replacing a street-running section of single track line along Avenue d’Echallens. The double-track tunnel has been built to increase ...
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News
BOB park-and-ride EMUs to relieve valley roads
SWITZERLAND: Berner Oberland-Bahnen has announced a SFr66m order for six Stadler ABeh 4/8 three-car electric multiple units to enter service in winter 2025-26. The order will enable a 15-min headway service to be provided at the proposed Matten station between Interlaken Ost and Wilderswil, where a ...
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In depth
Track Maintenance: Sittertobel renovation improves track forces
Schweizerische Südostbahn worked with industry partners including Getzner Werkstoffe to renovate its historic Sittertobel viaduct and install a more optimised track structure. The benefits of the changes have been quantified in series of tests assessing the rail deflection generated by passing trains.
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News
Narrow gauge EMUs enter service
SWITZERLAND: Chemin de Fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez has put into service the first two of six additional electric multiple-units being supplied by Stadler. NStCM ordered an initial four ABe4/8 two-car 1·5 kV DC metre-gauge EMUs in 2009, which entered service from December 2015. It ...
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News
Electric loco refurbishment programme completed
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has completed a five-year programme to refurbish its fleet of 119 Re460 electric locomotives. The 230 km/h multi-purpose locos rated at 6·1 MW were supplied by SLM and ABB in 1992-96. They are currently used to haul EW IV single-deck and IC2000 ...
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News
Two options to develop wagonload freight
SWITZERLAND: Two options to determine the future of the wagonload freight business are to be analysed further with a view to the government setting the direction of future policy later this year. Rail currently handles about 25% of all freight traffic in Switzerland, but it has ...
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News
Mountain railway trains enter service
SWITZERLAND: Mountain railway and cable car operator Rigi Bahnen officially unveiled its new Stadler rack EMUs on April 7, with the first train entering passenger service the following day. Equipped with the Riggenbach rack technology, the 1·5 kV DC Bhe 4/6 EMUs will initially be used ...
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Metro Report International
Limmattalbahn light rail vehicle delivered
SWITZERLAND: Aargau Verkehr has taken delivery of the first of eight Stadler Tramlink Be6/8 light rail vehicles for the Limmattalbahn project to the west of Zürich. The metre gauge LRVs were procured jointly with Baselland Transport. They are 44·3 m long, with ...
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News
Wengernalpbahn locomotive delivered
SWITZERLAND: Wengernalpbahn has taken delivery of the first of three Hem 4/4 narrow-gauge electro-diesel locomotives that it ordered from Stadler Bussnang in October 2019 at a cost of SFr13·5m for use on the Wengen Shuttle service. The first locomotive was delivered on ...
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News
Portable brake force measurement device
SWITZERLAND: Measurement device specialist Kistler has developed a highly portable device for measuring brake force on trains. Kistler developed the BFMS for staff at SBB’s maintenance depots in Oberwinterthur where the operator was keen to optimise the brake force measurement process. The device comprises four 9303A1B ...
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Metro Report International
Automatic incident detection system for Swiss level crossings
SWITZERLAND: Nokia has partnered with Schweizer Electronics to deploy its Scene Analytics technology to improve level crossing safety on Baselland Transport’s network. Nokia Scene Analytics monitors level crossings in real time using computer vision and artificial intelligence to detect any foreign objects on or near the ...
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In depth
Switzerland: Timetable recast in Luzern could add capacity
The congested terminus at Luzern is one of the main infrastructure bottlenecks preventing an increase in services on the busy lines in central Switzerland. Reshaping the timetable pattern to make the most of the two-track approach to the terminus from the north could free up more paths to generate up to a 40% increase in capacity.
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News
Gauge-changing panorama coaches ordered
SWITZERLAND: Montreux-Oberland Bahn has awarded Stadler a SFr12m contract to supply four low-floor gauge-changing panorama coaches for the future Goldenpass Express service between Montreux and Interlaken. The order is being financed by MOB with the support of the cantons of Bern, Vaud and Fribourg and the ...
