The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) will invest 38,8 million francs (39.5 million euros) to build a transshipment facility in Domodossola, one of the most active rail freight hubs in Italy. The facility in...Read more
In the European Union, the use and maintenance of rail freight wagons is regulated by two directives, one from 2006 for their use and one from 2019 for their maintenance. The Swiss Federal Office of...Read more
Freight transport across the Alps in 2023 decreased both when it comes to road and rail, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT). Concerning rail freight, volumes dropped by 5.9 per cent compared...Read more
Cargo Sous Terrain (CST), a Swiss project to implement an underground freight-dedicated rail network is now entering a new phase. The Swiss Federal Offices of Transport and Territorial Development opened the audition period, during which...Read more
The Swiss Federal Council recently announced that it will transfer some money destined for the Railway Infrastructure Fund (RIF) to boost single wagonload (SWL) traffic in the country. The funds are coming from the so-called...Read more
The Italian infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) launched a tender for 117 million euros, co-financed by Switzerland, to boost intermodality in northeastern Italy. More specifically, the railway between Arona and Verbania, along the southeastern...Read more
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
Switzerland and the European Union (EU) agreed to extend their cooperation with the European Railway Agency (ERA) until 31 December 2024. Under this agreement, ERA has been taking responsibility for vehicle authorisation, safety certification, and...Read more
The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) updated the country’s strategy for the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The new programme focusses on implementing cab-signalling with European Train Control System (ETCS)...Read more
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
Rail freight in Switzerland over the first six months of 2023 dropped by 6 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, for a total of 13,9 million tonnes. Throughout the same period, the...Read more
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
The Swiss Gateway Basel Nord trimodal terminal in Basel-Kleinhüningen has received planning approval from the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV) and can proceed with construction. The new terminal will be completed in two construction...Read more
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
The Swiss Federal Council set a spending limit of 15,1 billion francs (15,43 billion euros) for rail operations as well as maintenance and modernisation of the infrastructure. Despite being 0,7 billion francs more than what...Read more
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
The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) will allocate over 67 million euros for the construction of a rail terminal east of Milan, in northern Italy. The new transshipment terminal will be built on a...Read more
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
Running trains in the European Union might become problematic for Switzerland. The authorisation procedure that allowed Swiss companies to run trains in all EU member states will in fact expire at the end of 2023...Read more
The Swiss Federal Council’s scheme to grow rail freight is currently in consultation until 24 February. The plan focuses on two variants: either supporting single wagonload or opening competition with road transport. So far, Swiss...Read more
The Swiss Federal Council submitted two new variants to the framework conditions for freight transport to incentivise rail freight. The first one concerns extensive financial support from the Swiss government for single wagonload traffic. The...Read more