SWITZERLAND: SBB continues to wrestle with the problems caused by late delivery from Alstom of Class 610 tilting trainsets ordered in 2004 for Cisalpino services to and from Milano.
The difficulties have been made worse by frequent faults with the ETR470 sets currently diagrammed for this service, and SBB has been forced to extend its temporary timetable, replacing the three daily Basel - Milano trains with locomotive-hauled trains as far as Domodossola, where passengers change for Milano. Of the seven daily workings between Zürich and Milano, four are covered by ETR470 sets and three rely on ICN tilting trainsets to and from Lugano, where passengers change in and out of connecting trains to and from Milano.
With no sign of the Class 610 fleet entering service, approval on December 30 by the transport ministry of 250 km/h operation in the Lötschberg tunnel achieves nothing for the moment.
