All Switzerland articles – Page 7
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In depthSwitzerland: Ceneri Base Tunnel opening completes NEAT jigsaw
The December timetable change marked the start of regular commercial services through the Ceneri Base Tunnel at the southern end of Switzerland’s busy Gotthard corridor. Toma Bačić reports.
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NewsMFD Rail aims to build leading intermodal wagon business
SWITZERLAND: The management team and funds advised by Oaktree Capital Management have invested in MFD Rail, a start-up which aims to become one of Europe’s leading intermodal wagon leasing company over the next few years. MFD Rail says building a business from scratch ‘without having to ...
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Metro Report InternationalFlexity tram option approved
SWITZERLAND: Zürich city council and transport authority ZVV approved an SFr172m order for a further 40 Bombardier Transportation Flexity trams on December 9. The vehicles will be supplied under a May 2016 framework contract which included a base order for 70 trams worth SFr358m, including spare parts, ...
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NewsTX Logistik leases locos for Swiss transit traffic
EUROPE: The TX Logistik subsidiary of FS Group’s freight business Mercitalia is to lease seven Railpool-owned Bombardier Transportation Class 186 Traxx multi-system electric locomotives approved for operation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, as well as two Class 187 locos with last mile engines and approval for ...
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NewsFour operators to co-operate to expand night train services
EUROPE: The national rail operators of Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland have agreed to co-operate on the expansion of international night train services, suggesting that there is now a political willingness to provide the framework required for long term success. ‘Europe’s leading railways are pooling their forces ...
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NewsAutocouplers to equip Swiss intermodal fleet
SWITZERLAND: Delivery of a second batch of Voith CargoFlex automatic couplers for SBB Cargo’s fleet of domestic intermodal wagons has begun. Once the order is complete, all SBB Cargo’s intermodal wagons will have been fitted with autocouplers, allowing expansion of services using autocoupler-fitted trains from June 2021 ...
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NewsBAV approves Basel quadrupling
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Office of Transport has formally approved the four-tracking of the Rhein Valley main line north of Basel in order to boost freight capacity on a key access route to the trans-Alpine rail corridors.
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Metro Report InternationalFlexity 2 tram enters service in Zürich
SWITZERLAND: Zürich’s first Flexity 2 tram entered revenue service on October 15, ahead of widespread deployment on Route 11 from October 19 and later on Route 4. Operator VBZ ordered 70 Flexity 2 trams from Bombardier Transportation in May 2016 at a cost of SFr358m including spare ...
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NewsEppenberg tunnel opens for traffic
SWITZERLAND: As part of its project to four-track the 13·4 km Olten – Aarau line, SBB formally inaugurated its new Eppenberg tunnel on October 12.
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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 ...