Swiss railway news – Page 10
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NewsAssisted Remote Shunting obstacle detection trial
SWITZERLAND: Knorr-Bremse is equipping a number of SBB Cargo shunting locomotives with the Assisted Remote Shunting obstacle detection system developed by Rail Vision, an Israeli start-up in which the braking system manufacturer has a 21·3% stake. ARS is designed to enable a single person to control ...
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NewsFirst TILO Flirt 3 enters service
SWITZERLAND: The first of five Stadler Flirt 3 electric multiple-units ordered by Swiss Federal Railways to work TILO cross-border services began running in Switzerland on September 29. Designated as Class RABe 524/3, the five six-car EMUs were ordered in 2017 to work local services linking the southern ...
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NewsZentralbahn to take over Meiringen-Innertkirchen-Bahn
SWITZERLAND: Metre-gauge operator Zentralbahn is to purchase the 5 km Meiringen-Innertkirchen-Bahn from hydroelectric power company Kraftwerke Oberhasli, which has decided to pull out of rail operations because of growing regulatory requirements for what is not part of its core energy business. The MIB connects with the Zentralbahn ...
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Metro Report InternationalBasel tram extension to Augst proposed
SWITZERLAND:·Plans to extend Basel tram Route 14 to Augst have been set out by Basel canton, the Pratteln and Augst municipalities and Baselland tram operator BLT.
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NewsBLS unveils ‘modern, innovative, compact, all-round’ trains
SWITZERLAND: The first of 58 electric multiple-units ordered by BLS was unveiled at Stadler’s Erlen commissioning centre on September 9. The latest members of the Flirt multiple-unit family have been branded MIKA, meaning Moderner, Innovativer, Kompakter Allroundzug (modern, innovative, compact, all-round train). Two ...
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NewsCeneri Base Tunnel inaugurated
SWITZERLAND: The 15·4 km Ceneri Base Tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano was formally inaugurated on September 4, with President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga cutting a ribbon before the inaugural freight train ran south. This was followed by special passenger trains carrying guests in each direction. ...
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NewsBLS CEO steps down after Federal Audit Office finds flaws in accounting processes
SWITZERLAND: The country’s second largest railway has an overly complex accounting process which needs improvement, according to an investigation of flawed reporting for public funding by BLS which was published by the Federal Audit Office on September 3. Following the publication of the report, BLS announced that ...
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NewsThree prequalify for large Swiss train contract
SWITZERLAND: Three manufacturers have prequalified for a contract to supply a total of 194 electric-multiple units in a procurement process which is being run by Swiss Federal Railways and its local operating joint ventures Thurbo in Thurgau and RegionAlps in Valais. The shortlisted bidders announced on September ...
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NewsSBB sells fire rescue trains to Norway
NORWAY: Swiss Federal Railways has sold three LRZ96 fire-fighting and rescue trains to Norwegian infrastructure manager Bane NOR, which is developing a new emergency response concept. The locomotive-hauled trains were originally supplied to SBB by Josef Meyer, Cattaneo and Dräger Safety in 1996. Each comprises a firefighting ...
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NewsDigital automatic couplers on test
Source: DB/Volker Emersleben EUROPE: Trials with prototype digital automatic couplers from four manufacturers are to start this month, with a view to selecting a single type of coupler that could be introduced across Europe. Testing will continue through to December 2022. The pilot project aims to obtain ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn orders 20 Capricorn EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn has placed a SFr172·9m firm order for Stadler to supply a further 20 four-car Capricorn electric multiple-units. The order announced on June 12 has been placed using an option on a SFr361m contract for an initial 36 of the 11 kV 16·7 Hz EMUs ...
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NewsOver 500 trainsets to replace Swiss regional fleets
SBB Stadler Flirt. SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways, Thurbo and RegionAlps have jointly called tenders for the supply of 194 single-deck regional trainsets of a ‘tried and tested platform already in use in a European country’. The order worth up to SFr1∙5bn which was announced on May 18 ...
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NewsSwiss narrow gauge operators to study merger
SWITZERLAND: The Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn and Appenzeller Bahnen boards have agreed to examine a possible merger of the two companies. The 1 000 mm gauge networks are not connected, but the companies have worked together since 2003 and it is envisaged that combining could reduce costs. ...
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NewsElectric-battery locomotives delivered to Rhätische Bahn
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn has taken delivery of the first two of seven Geaf 2/2 electric-battery shunting locomotives ordered from Stadler. The SFr21·5 order for the metre-gauge locomotives was placed in September 2018, with RhB undertaking procurement in co-operation with Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn which ordered two similar locos. ...
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NewsLötschberg base tunnel reopened after water ingress mitigated
SWITZERLAND: The Lötschberg base tunnel was fully reopened at 17.00 on April 24, after being closed for almost six weeks because of significant water ingress in the eastern bore. The tunnel initially closed on February 6. One bore was reopened on February 7 and the second ...
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NewsTesting resumes in Ceneri Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: Test running has restarted in the 15∙4 km Ceneri Base Tunnel at the southern end of the Gotthard corridor. Agreement for the tests to resume on April 20 was reached after tunnel contractor AlpTransit Gotthard AG concluded discussions with medical specialists at operator SBB and the ...
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NewsSwiss Combi’s purchase of SBB Cargo stake approved
Swiss Combi’s purchase of a 35% stake in SBB Cargo AG has been approved by the country’s Competition Commission SWITZERLAND: Swiss Combi’s purchase of a 35% stake in SBB Cargo AG was approved by the country’s Competition Commission on April 2. The transaction for an undisclosed sum ...
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NewsBLS orders EMUs
SWITZERLAND: BLS has placed a firm order for a further six Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units. The order has been placed using an option on a contract for an initial 52 six-car Flirt EMUs which was signed by BLS and Stadler in January 2018. Stadler had been named ...
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NewsItalian cross-border traffic restricted
ETR610 Pendolino trainsets are used on cross-border services to and from Switzerland. EUROPE: Following the introduction of widespread travel restrictions across Italy, Swiss Federal Railways’ services from Genève and Zürich to Venezia have been cut back to Milano. With effect from Thursday March 12 some Zürich – ...
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NewsMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn orders rack EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Stadler an SFr148·5m contract to supply 12 three-car metre-gauge rack electric multiple-units to replace hauled stock on its regional services. The first of the EMUs are scheduled to be delivered for testing in mid-2022, with all 12 in service from ...