All Switzerland articles – Page 9
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NewsDB to refurbish SBB coaches
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Deutsche Bahn a contract to refurbish 93 Einheitswagen IV coaches at its Wittenberge and Neumünster workshops from 2020. The first of the EW IV coaches were delivered to SBB in 1981, and they are expected to remain in service until the 2030s. The ...
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NewsSBB and ÖBB to strengthen overnight services
EUROPE: Citing a significant increase in demand for international passenger services during the first half of 2019, Swiss Federal Railways announced on August 19 that it intended to strengthen its long-term co-operation with Austria’s ÖBB and expand the provision of both daytime and overnight trains. Suggesting that increased awareness ...
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Lausanne – Bercher EMU delivered
SWITZERLAND: Chemin de fer Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher has begun taking delivery of six three-car electric multiple-units being supplied by Stadler. The Be 4/8 EMUs ordered in 2017 are derived from the Worbla units which Stadler has supplied to Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn. The 23·6 km metre-gauge LEB route between Lausanne-Flon and ...
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NewsDB invests in mobile data analytics company
SWITZERLAND: A company which uses mobile phone data to obtain information on travel demand has raised US$17·5m in a funding round with participants including Deutsche Bahn’s technology investment fund DB Digital Ventures, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Innogy Ventures, LBBW Venture Capital, Liil Ventures and existing investors Atomico and Lakestar. ...
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NewsVectrons ordered for Ceneri Base Tunnel services
SWITZERLAND: Landesbank Baden-Württemberg subsidiary SüdLeasing has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 20 Vectron multisystem electric locomotives which will be operated by SBB Cargo International under a long-term leasing plan with a flexible term. The order announced on July 22 includes a full-serve maintenance agreement with Siemens Mobility ...
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NewsPrima H4 pre-series locos on test with SBB
SWITZERLAND: A pre-series batch of five Prima H4 shunting locomotives has now been delivered to SBB for a year of in-service trials. Designated Aem940 by SBB, the locomotives will be used mainly at marshalling yards and for engineering possessions. In line with SBB’s fleet rationalisation efforts, the four-axle loco is ...
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NewsSBB halts court battle with BLS
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has asked the Federal Administrative Court to suspend its appeal lodged in July 2018 against the decision by the Federal Office of Transport to allocate two routes in the national long-distance passenger service concession to BLS. The Bern – Biel and Bern – Burgdorf – Olten ...
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NewsWestermo acquires Neratec
SWITZERLAND: Beijer Group company Westermo has acquired 100% of Neratec Solutions, which supplies wireless communication products for on-train and trackside applications. Bubikon-based Neratec has 25 employees and recorded sales of SFr6·5m in 2018. ‘The acquisition of Neratec will strengthen Westermo’s offering to the rail industry to include a strong wireless ...
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NewsSwitzerland: Competitive stress
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways CEO Andreas Meyer believes that SBB could be forced into a position where it became a residual operator if the federal government were to pursue further its policy of on-rail competition. In an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung on May 29, Meyer reiterated ...
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NewsSwitzerland approves SFr13bn infrastructure investment package
SWITZERLAND: The upper house of Parliament (Ständerat) voted unanimously on June 21 in favour of a further phase of rail infrastructure expansion to eliminate bottlenecks, allow more frequent services and make stations more accessible. Worth SFr12∙89bn, the investment package known as STEP 2035 (Strategische Entwicklungsprogramm Bahninfrastruktur) covers around 200 large ...
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NewsLausanne station to be rebuilt
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Office for Transport has approved plans for Swiss Federal Railways to proceed with the reconstruction of Lausanne station. Announcing the decision on June 3, BAV said that the government would contribute SFr900m towards the SFr1∙3bn cost. The main objective is to extend the platforms to a length ...
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NewsPassengers prevail over freight in capacity allocation dispute
SWITZERLAND: The need to provide a minimum level of network capacity for freight operators should not be understood in absolute terms, but instead all relevant interests need to be weighed up, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled in a dispute about train paths. As a result, its says the needs ...
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NewsSBB Cargo makes progress in wagonload automation
SWITZERLAND: SBB Cargo plans to trial automated brake tests for freight trains by the end of the year as it makes headway in its efforts to digitalise its wagonload business. The operator has been trialling autocouplers on 130 wagons used on dedicated intermodal shuttles for more than a year, Project ...
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NewsSBB looks at options to reintroduce night trains
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is examining options for reintroducing overnight services to a range of European destinations. Armin Weber, Head of International Passenger Services, told Schweizer Radio & Fernsehen on May 30 that SBB had identified a market need and was looking at potential routes. If SBB decided to re-enter ...
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NewsRigi rack railway operator orders EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Mountain railway and cable car operator Rigi Bahnen AG has awarded Stadler a contract to supply six two-car low-floor rack electric multiple-units for entry into service from autumn 2021. The contract signed on May 22 is worth SFr38m, including spare parts. The Bhe4/6 EMUs are intended to replace ...
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NewsMOB’s gauge-changing bogies pass test
SWITZERLAND: Montreux-Oberland Bahn is on course to launch its long-planned through-service between Montreux and Interlaken on December 13 2020, following the completion of tests with specially-developed dual-gauge bogies and a gauge-changing facility at the break of gauge in Zweisimmen. Announcing the success of the trials during a demonstration of the ...
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NewsSBB’s Giruno enters passenger service
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways ran the first passenger-carrying service with one of its new Stadler Giruno trainsets on May 8, operating from Zürich HB to Erstfeld and then Basel SBB. Stadler is supplying 29 of the 11-car low-floor articulated trainsets under a SFr970m contract signed in October 2014. There are ...
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NewsStadler signs Waldenburgerbahn contract
SWITZERLAND: Baselland Transport and Stadler Rail signed a contract on April 26 for the supply of 10 Tramlink Be 6/8 vehicles to operate on the Waldenburgerbahn. The contract signing follows BLT’s approval on April 17 of a SFr54m credit line to support the purchase. The vehicles have been ordered ...
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NewsCapricorn EMU unveiled by Rhätische Bahn and Stadler
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn’s first Capricorn electric multiple-unit was unveiled at Stadler’s Altenrhein factory on April 15. The metre-gauge EMUs are branded with the Romansh name for the Alpine ibex which appears on the arms of canton Graubünden. They are scheduled to be delivered in 2019-22. The SFr361m order ...
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NewsHupac looks to automate route planning
SWITZERLAND: Intermodal freight operator Hupac is to automate its route planning and traffic management processes using sensor data and analytics provided by ETH Zürich spin-off company Nexiot. Hupac has previously equipped wagons with Nexiot sensors which provide information on their location, impact events, border crossings and mileage every 5 min. ...