EUROPE: Swiss Federal Railways is looking at ordering up to 40 high speed trainsets for use on international services to Italy and France, and ’potentially for other destinations such as Barcelona and London’.
To meet growing demand for international travel, SBB is planning to expand the number of cross-border services it offers, ‘in co-operation with its partner railway companies’. It will also need to replace the older trainsets in its existing international fleet in the medium term; its Alstom Pendolino ETR610 Astoro sets are expected to be retired in the second half of the 2030s.
SBB is also contemplating the use of higher speed trainsets which could run at 300 km/h or more in other countries, although there are no routes approved in Switzerland for such speeds.
Procurement plan
On March 12 SBB issued a notice on the Simap public sector procurement platform seeking information about multisystem high speed trainsets.
It is contemplating two procurement options, covering the purchase of trains along with a 15-year maintenance agreement, or a 15-year operating lease.
More information is to be shared with potential manufacturers and lessors in April and May this year, ahead of a possible call for tenders in 2026.
International services
SBB said the number of people travelling by train between Switzerland and other countries is expected to keep growing.
Its existing 250 km/h Stadler Giruno trainsets are expected to be approved to use the high speed line between Bologna and Firenze in 2026, while Trenitalia’s ETR1000 Frecciarossa trainsets could be used for a future direct service between Zürich HB and Roma Termini.
Meanwhile, overnight rolling stock used on the Zürich HB – Amsterdam route is to be replaced by new Nightjet trains. It I understood that these vehicles could be used by Railroad Development Corp from 2026 on a recently announced seasonal night train from Basel SBB to København and Malmö.
Switzerland to London trains
SBB has also examined the possibility of launching a direct service between Switzerland and London, concluding that this would be technically feasible but challenging.
The need to provide security and border controls at all the stations served has long been a barrier to new services through the Channel Tunnel. However, SBB believes this may be possible at Zürich HB, Basel SBB and Genève Cornavin.
SBB would like to offer such a service and is to further develop its plans, but implementation is not seen as possible until the 2030s at the earliest.
