Swiss railway news – Page 18
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NewsKnorr-Bremse to buy Selectron Systems
SWITZERLAND: Knorr-Bremse has signed an agreement to acquire rail vehicle automation, networking and control technology supplier Selectron Systems. Selectron Systems is based in Lyss and has more than 100 employees. Knorr-Bremse said customers of both companies would benefit in the original equipment, operations and aftermarket sectors, with Selectron Systems ...
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NewsBLS buys back DB’s stake in BLS Cargo
SWITZERLAND: BLS has agreed to buy back the 45% stake BLS Cargo which is owned by DB Schweiz Holding for an undisclosed price. Announcing the agreement on January 6, BLS said the transaction would have no effect on the existing operational relationships between the companies, and DB Schenker Rail would ...
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NewsS-Bahn expansion schemes launched
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has started work on a major capacity improvement programme between Genève and Lausanne. Announcing the launch of the SFr3bn ‘Léman 2030’ project at a ceremony in Renens station on November 22, SBB said that traffic on the route along the shore of Lac Léman is expected ...
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NewsSwiss border link inaugurated
SWITZERLAND: The first section of the FMV cross-border rail link will open for revenue service on December 15, following a formal dedication on November 27 attended by representatives from canton Ticino, the federal government, SBB and TILO, the cross-border transport operator for Ticino and Lombardia. Partially funded by the federal ...
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NewsSBB gets free trains following double-deck delays
SWITZERLAND: A revised schedule for the delivery of Twindexx Express long distance double-deck electric multiple-units ordered in 2010 has been agreed with Bombardier Transportation, Swiss Federal Railways announced on November 19. In compensation for a further one-year delay to deliveries, Bombardier will supply SBB with three additional EMUs and spare ...
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NewsSBB awards Eppenberg tunnel contract
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways announced on November 14 that it had awarded a SFr273·7m contract for the construction of the 3 km Eppenburg tunnel, the key element in the SFr855m project to four-track the busy Olten – Aarau line by 2020. The contract awarded to the ARGE Marti Eppenberg ...
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NewsTracklaying completed in Gotthard base tunnel
SWITZERLAND: The completion of tracklaying in the 57 km Gotthard base tunnel was marked with a ceremony at 12.00 on October 31, when the concrete was poured for a ‘Golden Sleeper’, 54 m from the southern portal at Bodio. Noting that it is now possible for diesel-hauled trains to run ...
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NewsFirst MTR Express inter-city Flirt on test
SWEDEN: Ahead of the launch of MTR Express Stockholm – Göteborg open access services in March 2015, guests including Railway Gazette joined MTR Nordic and Stadler staff on a test run of the operator’s first Flirt Intercity EMU in Switzerland on October 17. MTR Express is part of the Nordic ...
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NewsZentralbahn orders more Fink EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Zentralbahn signed a SFr53m contract on September 22 for Stadler Rail to supply five more Fink metre-gauge electric multiple-units. Under the deal signed by ZB Managing Director Renato Fasciati and Stadler Rail Group CEO Peter Spuhler, the three-car rack EMUs are to be delivered in late 2016. They ...
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NewsNexans signs SBB cable framework
SWITZERLAND: Nexans announced on September 24 that it had signed a five-year framework agreement with SBB for the supply of signalling and balise power supply cable. The agreement is worth €35m in total. From next month, Nexans is to provide over 7 000 km of cable for infrastructure upgrade projects ...
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NewsCeneri base tunnel dispute resolved
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Supreme Court has upheld two appeals by the preferred bidders against the Federal Administrative Court’s decision to block the award of two contracts for fitting out the 15·4 km Ceneri base tunnel. The losing bidders for the contracts had appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which ruled ...
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NewsWagon leasing company calls for subsidy rethink
EUROPE: State subsidies for the installation of low-noise wagon brakes need to be rethought to increase uptake, according to Mark Stevenson, Chief Executive of wagon leasing company AAE. Replacing cast iron brake blocks with low-noise LL blocks cuts noise by around a half, according to Stevenson, and quieter trains ...
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NewsCeneri base tunnel delay warning
SWITZERLAND: Opening of the 15·4 km Ceneri base tunnel could be delayed by two years to December 2021 as result of tendering disputes, AlpTransit Gotthard warned a supervisory committee of the Swiss parliament on August 28. The project promoter said that the effects that any such delay would have ...
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NewsSBB overspend funded
SWITZERLAND: SBB announced on June 30 that it had reached agreement with the Federal Office for Transport over the financing of projected overspends in its infrastructure maintenance budget during the five-year plan period 2013-17. Faced with increasing traffic volumes, SBB spent SF129m more than anticipated in 2013, and the ...
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NewsSBB orders Stadler EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways announced two firm orders for Stadler Rail to supply additional electric multiple-units on June 9. A SFr397m order covers 19 six-car double-deck EMUs to be delivered from late 2018. These will enable service frequencies to be increase on the Zürich S-Bahn network. The second order ...
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NewsHarsco to supply catenary maintenance vehicles to SBB
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Harsco a contract to supply 59 catenary construction, maintenance and repair vehicles between March 2016 and September 2017. These will replace existing vehicles and expand the fleet, enabling maintenance and repairs to be undertaken more quickly to minimise disruption on the network. ...
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NewsSwiss tests confirm Baseline 3 backwards compatibility
SWITZERLAND: Siemens Rail Automation announced on May 22 that a joint testing programme organised with Swiss Federal Railways and BLS AG has successfully demonstrated the functionality and backwards-compatibility of its ETCS Baseline 3 onboard software, ready for the introduction of the revised Control Command & Signalling TSI later this year. ...
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NewsStadler wins Gotthard base tunnel high speed train contract
SWITZERLAND: Stadler Rail has beaten rival bidders Alstom and Talgo to win a SFr980m contract to supply 29 articulated high speed trains for international services through the Gotthard base tunnel. Announcing the order on May 9, Swiss Federal Railways said that Stadler Rail was the clear winner with a ...
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NewsStadler overhauls TEE trainset
SWITZERLAND: Stadler Rail has replaced the wheel-slip protection and anti-slide devices and restored the multi-system capability of SBB Historic’s preserved RAe TEE II 1035 six-car electric multiple-unit, enabling it to once again operate under 1·5 kV DC, 3 kV DC, 15 kV AC and 25 kV AC electrification. Five RAe ...
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NewsSBB orders 485 wagons
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways announced a SFr50m contract for Slovakian company ŽOS Trnava to supply 485 wagons to replace its infrastructure maintenance fleet on March 31. The order covers: 70 twin-axle hopper wagons; 140 bogie hopper wagons; 50 tipping wagons with high sides; 25 tipping wagons with low sides; ...