Automated brake tests on Swiss freight trains to start in mid-2024
The Swiss Federal Office of Transport issued the type-approval for automated brake tests for SBB Cargo trains. In-service tests will be held at selected locations over the next three months, with a large-scale rollout planned...Read more
New timetable increases Gotthard Tunnel’s freight capacity on weekdays
SBB will implement timetable changes on 10 December that will affect operations through the impaired Gotthard Base Tunnel. The Swiss national railway company will increase capacity for passenger trains during the weekend. However, it will...Read more
SBB: ‘Gotthard Tunnel repair will cost over 100 million euros’
Accident updateThe Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) said that repairing the damage caused by the derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel from last August will cost between 103 and 135 million euros (100 and 130 million Swiss...Read more
Volumes on Novara-Freiburg Rolling Highway back to pre-pandemic levels
The rolling highway (RoLa) between Novara and Freiburg has experienced a 12 per cent increase in trucks transported via rail during the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period last year. According...Read more
The Gotthard Base Tunnel won’t be fully operational until next summer
Accident updateThe west tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is currently unavailable due to a disastrous freight train derailment last August. Despite the still-usable east shaft being reserved for rail freight, the Federal Swiss Railway said...Read more
SBB Cargo: ‘No RU has managed to offer single wagonload traffic alone’
INTERVIEWFor many countries, Switzerland is an example to look up to when setting up a rail freight transport and infrastructure policy. Just like Swiss clocks, the rail industry is working with accuracy. That, however, does...Read more
Gotthard accident: tunnel has been cleared, but finish line is still far
Accident updateThe western tunnel of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has been cleared from the debris left after a freight train derailment on Thursday 10 August. The last 16 wagons still in the tunnel were removed and...Read more
Gotthard Tunnel’s reconstruction likely to begin after September ends
Clearance and rescue works in the western tube of the Gotthard Tunnel are expected to be finished by the end of September. SBB is currently working on removing the impacted wagons and locomotives, with eight...Read more
Gotthard accident: freight traffic might partially restart next week
accident updateThe impact of the freight train derailment that occurred inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel on Thursday 10 August is expected to hit the rail industry quite significantly. The situation is slightly better for freight trains,...Read more
Gotthard Tunnel’s closure prolonged, no re-opening date in sight
Accident updateThe Gotthard Base Tunnel is likely to be closed longer than expected after an accident involving a freight train occurred on Thursday 10 August. Initial estimates from the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) stated that the...Read more
Gotthard accident: ‘problem was with the train, not the infrastructure’
Accident updateThe train derailment that occurred Thursday 10 August inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel might cause the structure to be closed for quite some time. This is because the door that separates the two tunnels was...Read more
SBB Cargo is all back in the hands of the Swiss government
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the Helvetic infrastructure manager, is back to being the only shareholder of its freight subsidiary SBB Cargo. The state-owned company has repurchased the 35 per cent of shares that, in...Read more
Major Swiss rail upgrade project underway in the Zurich area
SBB plans to expand the railway between Zurich and the German border, on behalf of the Swiss federal government. The planned infrastructure upgrades of the major Zurich-Winterthur MehrSpur project will eliminate the current bottleneck in...Read more
Switzerland: adverse reactions for SBB’s one-off financing and waivers plans
The Swiss Federal Council proposed to provide a one-off financial injection of 1,25 billion Swiss Francs to state-owned SBB and waive long-distance track access charges by 200 million Swiss Francs per year until 2029. The...Read more
SBB Cargo notes substantial financial losses
Last year, the Swiss rail freight operator SBB Cargo saw its financial losses catastrophically increase from 1,2 million euros in 2021 to a negative result of 191 million euros. That was almost 80 per cent...Read more
Switzerland starts testing ‘DAC+’ digital freight train
A Swiss consortium that includes the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) launched the so-called DAC+ pilot freight train. This automated freight train is equipped with an automatic coupler including a digital data line. This new initiative...Read more
Chiasso gets a new terminal for Swiss regional network
A new logistics terminal has been opened at the marshaling yard in Chiasso, a Swiss city on the border with Italy. The terminal is expected to facilitate the transfer of goods from road to rail...Read more
SBB will build new terminals and city hubs to boost rail freight
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is presenting a plan called Suisse Cargo Logistics for the future of its rail freight sector. The plan will include the building of five new terminals between Geneva, in the...Read more
What is the future for single wagonload traffic in Switzerland?
Last week, Swiss Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga held a speech at the General Assembly of the Association of Shipping Business and Logistics VAP. Sommaruga claimed that rail freight transportation is no longer economically viable when...Read more