Rail transport in Switzerland

The rail is in Switzerland the backbone of public transport. Switzerland has a very dense railway network with a comparatively very good range of services that are used by almost a million people every day. Together with the touristic attractive alpine railways, this contributes to the image as a railway country.

Railway network

Switzerland's railway network

The Swiss railway network has a length of 5,251 km (as of 2010), with an area of ​​41,285 km² , like the network of the Czech Republic and apart from the city states of Monaco and the Vatican , it is the densest in the world and up to fully electrified a few kilometers.

According to the Swiss Railway Act, all means of rail transport, including mountain railways and trams, count as railways. Until 2009, the rail network was divided into main and branch lines. The main railways included all standard-gauge railways that serve through traffic. The S-Bahn operate on the normal railway network, both standard and narrow gauge .

Unlike in other countries, there is no competing bus network with the main railway lines. The public rail and bus networks are designed in such a way that they complement each other. Connections between bus and train are also awaited at the stations.

See also : List of existing Swiss railway lines , list of former Swiss railway lines and list of timetable fields

Standard gauge railways

3,846 km - 78.88% - of the Swiss railway network are standard-gauge ; 1,747 km of this are multi-track (as of 2010, source: BfS). Most of the railway network dates from the second half of the 19th century. Almost all main lines are in the hand of the SBB , with the exception of some lines of the BLS and SOB .

RABDe 500 tilting train in Eastern Switzerland

The most important main connections are the west-east connection from Geneva via Lausanne , Bern and Zurich to Lake Constance and the Jura foot line running parallel to it , the Gotthard Railway running north-south and the Lötschberg-Simplon axis . The two Alpine transversals are also of international importance, as they are on the way from the North Sea ports to Italy . They are being supplemented and partially replaced by the New Railway Alpine Transversal (NEAT) with new base tunnels.

Most important in national traffic are the triangle Basel - Bern - Zurich and in western Switzerland the line along Lake Geneva between Geneva and Lausanne . The most important railway junction is Olten , where the east-west and north-south lines intersect.

Because of the topographical conditions, most of the railway lines are curvy and can therefore only be traveled at comparatively low speeds. There are no real high-speed lines in Switzerland. The new line of the Bahn 2000 between Bern and Olten is designed for at least 200 km / h. In the NEAT tunnels, you can theoretically drive at 250 km / h. They are to be connected to the high-speed networks of neighboring countries.

Narrow-gauge railways

An earlier train of the Arosa Railway operated by the RhB on the through town in Chur towards Arosa

The narrow-gauge railways are indispensable in Switzerland. In the mountainous regions of the Alps , Pre-Alps and the Jura in particular , extensive narrow-gauge routes were built for cost reasons. Of the 1,030 km long narrow-gauge network, only 45 km are multi-lane. The vast majority of narrow-gauge railways use meter gauge, the 800 mm ( e.g. Wengernalpbahn ), 1200 mm ( Rheineck – Walzenhausen mountain railway ) and 750 mm ( Waldenburgerbahn ) gauges are also used as special gauge .

The largest contiguous narrow-gauge network in Switzerland is that of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway . These two railways operate the Glacier Express together , which runs between the health resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt . The Albula and Bernina lines of the RhB to Tirano in northern Italy form a third railway crossing in Switzerland in addition to the standard-gauge routes through Gotthard and Simplon.

When there was still a distinction between main lines and branch lines, all narrow-gauge lines were considered branch lines.

See also : List of narrow-gauge railways in Switzerland

Trams

Bernmobil tram

Tram operated by the Zurich transport company

After the trams were initially very successful in Switzerland, they experienced their decline in the twentieth century with the international trend towards creating space for car traffic. Many cities that originally had trams often switched their networks to trolleybuses . Many trolleybus routes are still in operation in Switzerland today. There were only four tram cities left in Switzerland: Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich. Lausanne had banned the tram from the city for Expo 64 , but returned to this mode of transport a quarter of a century later, but now based on the modern principles of a light rail system. From the end of the 1980s, some places in Switzerland were also considering reintroducing and expanding the tram network.

The transition between tram and "real" railroad is fluid. Because there is no legal difference in Switzerland, a delimitation is not necessary. The tram networks in the cities and agglomerations use the meter gauge, with the exception of Lausanne (TSOL). In addition, there are suburban and overland lines that run in parts as trams.

The first tramway in Switzerland opened in Geneva in 1862 and connected Place Neuve with the town of Carouge . Back then, the wagons were pulled by horses. At the time of its greatest expansion, in 1925, Geneva had a tram network of over 130 kilometers in the entire canton and on the French border area. Geneva was thus at the top of the Swiss cities. From the interwar period, but especially after the Second World War, the tram networks were severely dismantled and in some cases completely abandoned. Private transport had the highest priority and the trams that took up a lot of space on the streets were mostly replaced by bus routes. This dismantling of the tram network was particularly strong in French-speaking Switzerland, which naturally was more oriented towards France and Paris, where the tram networks were quickly dismantled. In Geneva, 129 of 138 tram kilometers were shut down, in Neuchâtel 21 out of 30 and Lausanne completely parted with its 66 kilometers of tram network in view of the 1964 national exhibition.

German-speaking Switzerland, on the other hand, took a slower approach to dismantling the tram network and thus had even more tram lines left when the tram became modern again from the mid-1980s, which have now been expanded again. The Basel tram network, for example, was only reduced by eleven kilometers, from 58 to 47; in the tram Bern just seven kilometers were shut down. Which were abandoned tram St. Gallen , the tram Schaffhausen , the tram Winterthur and the tram Lucerne .

The Zurich tram network , which had peaked in 1931, lost a total of almost 17 kilometers by 1965, including all tram routes outside the city limits. Although a longer tram route within the city was also abolished in 1954, the construction of new tram routes was never completely abandoned.In 1954, 1976 and 1986, a total of eleven kilometers of new tram routes were opened. With the opening of the first two stages of the Glattalbahn in 2006 and 2008, the Zurich tram network was expanded again. The third stage of the Glattalbahn (Auzelg - Stettbach station) and the Zurich West tram (between Escher-Wyss-Platz - Altstetten station) were also opened in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Further expansion projects have already been decided.

From 1995 the Geneva tram was expanded again. The first 1.6 kilometers were newly built. Lines 13 and 16 were put into operation in 1996.

See also : List of cities with trams (section Switzerland)

Cableways

Braunwaldbahn , a funicular railway

By definition, ropeways belong to those railways that transport people or goods. While the funiculars use a fixed track superstructure, only the aerial tramways work on a similar principle, because the fixed suspension cables on which the cabin hangers roll also serve as a kind of rails.

Cable cars are primarily designed for tourism and are partially integrated into national offers in terms of timetables and tariffs. Legally speaking, the funiculars were classified as railways until December 31, 2006. Since then, they have been subject to the new Cable Car Act (SebG) together with the cable cars .

See also : List of Swiss funiculars  and list of cable cars in Switzerland

Cross-border routes

In Switzerland, railway lines are not only operated by the SBB and many larger and smaller private railways, but also by some foreign railway companies. In return, Swiss railway companies operate their own routes in neighboring countries. 42 km of the Deutsche Bahn network (owned by the Federal Republic of Germany) are located on Swiss territory, with the Upper Rhine making up the largest part. Further 2 km belong to the ÖBB . Conversely, 14 km of railway lines in neighboring countries are owned by Swiss companies. At all other border crossings, the property border is on the national border and continuous operation is regulated by operating and leasing contracts, network access and concessions.

Foreign routes in Switzerland

Badischer Bahnhof Basel

•  Germany :
  • Basel Badischer Bahnhof : In March 1838, the Grand Duchy of Baden began building the Baden main line . This should lead from Mannheim via Heidelberg , Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau to Basel and on to Constance . The section between Karlsruhe and Basel is known today as the Rhine Valley Railway , the Basel – Konstanz section as the Upper Rhine route . In January 1851 the Rheintalbahn reached Haltingen near the Swiss border. After lengthy negotiations, on July 27, 1852 the still valid state treaty between the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Swiss Confederation on the continuation of the Baden railway across Swiss territory was concluded. Since the two countries did not agree on the location of the Badischer Bahnhof in Basel, construction was delayed. On February 19, 1855, the railway line from Haltingen to Basel was finally put into operation. The Badischer Bahnhof Basel is now served by the three German lines of the Wiesentalbahn , the Hochrheinbahn and the Rheintalbahn as well as the Basel connecting line.
  • Railway line Trasadingen – Schaffhausen – Thayngen :
    

    Deutsche Bahn multiple unit in Schaffhausen station
    The railway line through the canton of Schaffhausen is part of the Hochrheinbahn from Basel to Constance . It was built by the Grand Ducal Baden State Railways as part of the Baden Main Railway and inaugurated in 1863 by the Baden Grand Duke Friedrich . A state treaty from 1852 still regulates ownership today. The entire railway - including on Swiss territory - was originally under the Baden State Railway. Today the line belongs to the area of ​​responsibility of the Deutsche Bahn AG . The line from Erzingen to Schaffhausen through the Klettgau was electrified in 2013 as part of the Schaffhausen S-Bahn and expanded to double-track. The branch from Schaffhausen to Thayngen already received contact wire in 1989 and can be used by German and Swiss locomotives. The long-distance trains will continue to be operated by Deutsche Bahn, but SBB GmbH , based in Konstanz, Germany, is responsible for the S-Bahn . Thus, the German subsidiary of SBB travels on German rails through the canton of Schaffhausen.
•  France :
  • Railway line Frasne – Vallorbe : The railway line Frasne – Vallorbe with the tunnel du Mont d'Or was opened as a direct connection in 1915 and made the older line Pontarlier – Vallorbe superfluous. The line of the French State Railways (SNCF) electrified with 25,000 volts 50 Hertz serves the Paris – Lausanne trains of TGV Lyria .
  • Strasbourg – Basel railway line and Basel SNCF station : On June 15, 1844, around three years before the first railway line in Switzerland , the Spanish-Brötli Railway , railroad trains reached Swiss soil for the first time. The Compagnie du chemin de fer de Strasbourg à Bâle built the Strasbourg – Basel railway line and the first train station in Basel. Today, after many changes of ownership, the line, electrified at 25,000 volts 50 Hertz, belongs to the French network operator SNCF Réseau . The Basel SNCF train station is a joint station with the Basel SBB and this is affiliated.

•  Italy :
  

  Motorail train with an Italian locomotive E.656 in Chiasso station under the catenary of the type SBB.
  • Railway line Como – Chiasso : The railway line Chiasso – Milan, electrified with 3000 volts direct current , of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) is the continuation of the Gotthard Railway and has been connecting Ticino with the Lombard metropolis since 1882 .

•  Liechtenstein  /  Austria :  
  • Feldkirch – Buchs railway line : The single-track, electrified Feldkirch – Buchs railway line that runs through Liechtenstein was put into operation in 1872 and is now owned by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). It is used by express and freight trains that continue across the Arlberg , as well as by regional trains. Because of the hairpin of the international trains coming from Zurich, the locomotive is changed in Buchs. Since the Sargans-Trübbach loop has been in operation in 1983 , the second hairpin in Sargans station has been superfluous. Because the Railjet trains Innsbruck − Zurich run as shuttle trains, the Austrian locomotive transports the train to Zurich.

•  Austria :
  • Bregenz – St. Margrethen : The single- track St. Margrethen – Lauterach railway was also opened in 1872 and electrified in 1949. Most international trains between Zurich and Munich are transported to Lindau by SBB locomotives that have a pantograph with a wider rocker for the ÖBB route.

Swiss routes abroad

→ Main article : Sections of Swiss railways abroad

The following Swiss routes lead to foreign countries close to the border:

•  Germany :
  • Eglisau – Neuhausen am Rheinfall railway line
  • Etzwilen – Rielasingen railway line
•  France :
  • Basel – Leymen – Rodersdorf railway line
•  Italy :
  • Brig – Iselle Simplon Tunnel
  • Bernina Railway (Campocologno – Tirano)

Other cross-border connections, special operating conditions

•  Germany :
  • Basel SBB – Basel Bad Bf : The Basel connecting line connects the Badischer Bahnhof on the right bank of the Rhine with the SBB train station on the left bank of the Rhine . It lies entirely on Swiss territory , was opened in 1873 and belongs to the SBB and DB Netz . The Basel connecting railway is equipped so that it can be used by German and Swiss locomotives.
  • Koblenz – Waldshut :
    

    Train of the Zurich S-Bahn when crossing the border on the Rhine bridge Koblenz-Waldshut
    The border of ownership of the Koblenz – Waldshut railway line by the SBB and DB Netz is in the middle of the Waldshut – Koblenz bridge over the Rhine , where the state border also runs. The section is used every half hour by trains of the S-Bahn Zurich , the freight traffic has been stopped.
  • Kreuzlingen-Konstanz and Kreuzlingen Harbor Konstanz : in 1875 by the Swiss National web opened and in 1878 by the Swiss Nordostbahn acquired (NOB) railway Etzwilen-Kreuzlingen-Konstanz / Kreuzlingen port forms with the 1871 put into operation railway line novel horn Kreuzlingen Harbor Konstanz a Track triangle . The Konstanz train station and the part of the Gleisdreieck located on German territory originally belonged to the Grand Ducal Baden State Railways and today the Deutsche Bahn . It is worth mentioning that the trains of the Mittelthurgau Railway were usually tied through from Kreuzlingen to Konstanz.

•  Austria :
  • Service railway of the International Rhine Regulation : Apartially electrified construction and freight railway with a gauge of 750 mm was builtfor the work of the Rhine regulation . In 2006 the company ceased operations. The "Rhein-Schauen" association has been operating the line as a museum railway since 2008.

•  Italy :
  • Pino-Tronzano-Luino and Iselle-Domodossola : The sections Pino-Tronzano-Luino of the Cadenazzo-Luino and Iselle-Domodossola of the Simplon line belong to the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), but are 15,000 volts 16.7 with the Swiss electricity system Hertz and equipped with Swiss train protection. The Swiss driving regulations apply and only a Swiss approval of the locomotives is required. The locomotives run continuously between Bellinzona and Luino or between Brig and Domodossola .
  • Centovalli Railway :
    

    Ruinacci Viaduct at Camedo
    The meter-gauge Centovalli Railway runs from Locarno in the canton of Ticino through Centovalli to the Italian border and on through the Valle Vigezzo to Domodossola . The line electrified with 1200 volts direct current connects the Gotthard Railway with the Simplon line . The international railway line is operated on the Swiss side by the Ferrovie autolinee regionali ticinesi (FART), on the Italian side, where the railway is called Vigezzina , by the Società subalpina di imprese ferroviarie (SSIF). The company has a state treaty between the Swiss Federal Council and the King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III. , dated November 12, 1918.

•  France :
  • Martigny – Le Châtelard – Vallorcine : The Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR) operate the meter-gauge line from Martigny to Le Châtelard -Frontière. On the French side, the French State Railways (SNCF) continue operations on the route via Vallorcine and Chamonix to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet . The meter-gauge track, which is partially equipped with a rack, is electrified with 850 volts direct current and is partially equipped with a lateral conductor rail instead of a catenary . The international trains are marketed as the “Mont Blanc Express”.
  • Saint-Gingolph – Évian-les-Bains : The Évian-les-Bains – Saint-Gingolph railway was opened in 1886 by the Compagnie Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (PLM) after an agreement had been signed by the two countries in 1882. At the same time, the Swiss Compagnie du Simplon extended its route to the border. With the nationalization of the PLM, the line became the property of the French State Railways SNCF in 1938 and passenger traffic was discontinued at the same time. Freight traffic was also maintained during the Second World War . At that time, the line was the only open rail link between France and Switzerland. In 1998 the company was closed. A resumption of passenger traffic is planned.
  • Genève – Annemasse : Switzerland and France signed a treaty on the Geneva – Annemasse railway in 1881 . There is also a 1912 contract between the Canton of Geneva and the Swiss Confederation, according to which a connection from Cornavin to Eaux-Vives is to be built.
    The Chemin de fer de l'État de Genève belongs to the section on Swiss soil of the Genève - Annemasse railway that opened on June 1, 1888 . The approximately six kilometers long standard-gauge single - track route has so far not had any connection on Swiss soil to the rest of the Swiss standard-gauge network. Two kilometers of the route between Annemasse and the state border near Ambilly in France belong to the national railway infrastructure company SNCF Réseau . With the “ CEVA ” project , an acronym for Cornavin – Eaux-Vives – Annemasse, the contract will be implemented around a hundred years after it was signed. The Cornavin – Eaux-Vives – Annemasse line is due to connect Annemasse with Geneva's Cornavin station from 2019 .
  • Geneva – La Plaine (–Bellegarde) :
    

    Former direct current motor coach Bem 550 of the SBB
    In order to save the Lyon – Geneva express trains from having to change locomotives for the short Swiss section, the SBB electrified the Geneva – La Plaine section in 1858 with the French 1500 volt direct current system , creating the only direct current line in the SBB network. For regional traffic, the SBB procured special direct current locomotives with the BDe 4/4 II and the Bem 550 . In 2014, the entire Lyon – La Plaine – Geneva route was converted to the French 25,000 volt 50 Hertz AC system and the remaining DC vehicles were scrapped.
  • Pontarlier – Les Verrières : The stretch from the border at Les Verrières to Pontarlier was equipped with the Swiss electricity system in 1956 so that Swiss locomotives can pass through to Pontarlier. The Les Verrières – Pontarlier section is the only route operated by the French infrastructure operator RFF that is electrified at 15,000 volts 16.7 Hertz and is therefore used for test drives with French multi-system vehicles.
  • Le Locle – Morteau : The short section of the SBB from Le Locle-Col-des-Roches to the national and property border in the Col-des-Roches tunnel is not electrified , like the French line that follows . Cross-border traffic is of minor importance; TER Franche-Comté diesel multiple units run to La Chaux-de-Fonds.
  • Boncourt – Delle : In 1933, the SBB started electrical operation on the Delémont – Delle railway line with 15,000 volts 16 16 Hertz. The short section between the state border and Delle train station was also electrified by the SBB. After the Second World War, the Delle border crossing gradually lost its importance and in 1996 the section was closed. In 2006 the section was reactivated and cross-border rail traffic was resumed with an hourly RegioExpress .

Societies

Swiss Federal Railways

The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) emerged from 1901 through the nationalization of the most important private railways of the time. The official founding date is January 1st, 1902, but certain lines were already executed in 1901 on behalf of the state. On January 1, 1999, they were converted into a public limited company under special law. The SBB are wholly federally owned, but are now legally equal to the «private railways» in most areas (the main difference is personnel law).

Licensed transport company

In addition to the SBB, there are a large number of licensed transport companies (KTU). KTU of rail transport are also referred to as private railways. Together they operate a large part of the Swiss railway network. The term "private railroad" refers more to the legal form than to the ownership, because the majority of these railways have long been owned by the public - the federal government , cantons and municipalities. In the important BLS, for example, the federal government holds 21% of the share capital and the canton of Bern holds a majority of 55%, while private individuals only own a negligible minority of the shares. The majority of the Rhaetian Railway belongs to the Canton of Graubünden and is therefore also known as the "State Railway of the Canton of Graubünden".

Some of the more important KTUs are:

• BLS AG : Operator of the Lötschberg line and the Bern S-Bahn as well as some lines in the Bernese Oberland, Oberaargau, Emmental and Lucerne hinterland (traffic and infrastructure are not congruent)
• Schweizerische Südostbahn : operates standard gauge lines in the Bodensee - Toggenburg - Schwyz area and operates the Voralpenexpress from St. Gallen to Lucerne
• Rhaetian Railway : narrow-gauge network in the canton of Graubünden
• Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn : narrow-gauge line from Zermatt via Andermatt to Disentis, connects to the Rhaetian Railway
• Montreux-Berner-Oberland-Bahn : narrow-gauge line from Lake Geneva to the Bernese Oberland
• Zentralbahn : Brünigbahn and Engelbergbahn
• Appenzeller Bahnen operate a narrow-gauge network in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and St. Gallen and a few kilometers of standard gauge, the Rorschach-Heiden-Bergbahn .

See also : List of Swiss railway companies

Timetable and tariff

All public transport in Switzerland has the characteristics of a "transport association": a coordinated, jointly published timetable ( timetable ), general subscription and half-fare subscription are valid for all companies except tourist railways.

The timetable of the Swiss railways is designed according to the following principles:

• Integral cycle timetable with uniform minute of symmetry on all routes ; The junction principle of Bahn 2000 guarantees hourly and half-hourly connections, always the same, mirror-inverted connections in direction and opposite direction in all important junction stations in the country
• Link to tram and bus
• Timetable procedure with the participation of the cantons with public edition of the draft timetable

See also : List of Swiss collective bargaining associations

Traffic statistics

See also: Train accidents and rail suicides in the Swiss rail network

In an international comparison, Switzerland ranks first with Japan in terms of the number of passenger-kilometers traveled annually by rail. On average, every Swiss person makes 47 train journeys per year. With a distance traveled per inhabitant in 2004, Switzerland is 1,739 kilometers behind Japan, which is the world's leading rail driver with 1,897 kilometers per year. In this evaluation, only the members of the UIC are counted in both countries. Due to the membership of the VÖV in the UIC, practically all state and private railways in Switzerland are included in these statistics. In Japan only the successors of the former state railways are members of the UIC. However, due to the large number of Japanese private railways, the total numbers are significantly higher. There are no comparable statistics available.

Key figures for rail transport in Switzerland

	2000	2004
			of which SBB
Network (km)	5,062	5,024	3,034
Passenger kilometers (million pkm)	12,620	14,914	12,565
Ton kilometers (million tkm)	11'080	11,489	10,117

history

→ Main article : History of the Swiss railways

politics

The current transport policy in Switzerland is generally positive towards rail transport. Keywords from current politics are:

• Relocation policy
• Rail reform
• Free network access with the EU
• Financing of public transport ( FinöV )
• New Alpine Transversal Railway (NEAT), ZEB

See also : Category: Transport Policy (Switzerland)  and Swiss Railway Projects

financing

The federal government plays the most important role in the financing of the railway infrastructure. It finances the major projects, the SBB infrastructure and some private railway infrastructures (mainly the Lötschberg transit axis). It finances the other private rail infrastructure together with the cantons. He makes a contribution of up to 50% on expansion projects in agglomerations (e.g. Tram Bern West, Glattalbahn, M2 in Lausanne).

Long-distance rail transport must be self-supporting (but does not pay full costs for the use of the train path). The federal government and the cantons jointly finance regional transport for all modes of transport (rail, bus, boat, cable car) according to uniform principles. Local traffic is a matter for the cantons or communes.

Authorities

The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) is the supervisory authority for all rail transport.

Legal basis of rail transport

See: Systematic Collection of Federal Law, Railways .

technology

Series designations for vehicles

See also : Type designations for Swiss locomotives and railcars

Power systems

Most standard-gauge railways and some meter-gauge railways (e.g. TRAVYS, MBC) in Switzerland are electrified with 15 kV 16.7 Hz . Although voltage and frequency are the same, locomotive runs to and from Germany and Austria are not easily possible due to the different clearance profile . At 1450 mm, the width of the pantographs is much narrower than in the two neighboring countries.

The narrow-gauge railways RhB and MGB use 11 kV 16.7 Hz and are connected to the traction current network of the standard-gauge railways. The other narrow-gauge railways and some special standard-gauge railways (OC, TSOL, LO, RB) use direct current with voltages from 600 V to 1500 V. The cog railways Gornergratbahn and Jungfrau Railway have a three-phase power supply .

A few hundred meters of track in the Chiasso border station are electrified with the FS DC 3000 V power system . Along the border with France, the electricity systems of this country, direct current 1500 V and alternating current 25 kV 50 Hz can be found.

See also : List of traction power systems in Switzerland

Train protection

→ Main article : Railway signals in Switzerland

The SBB and the standard gauge private railways introduced Signum train protection on their entire network from 1933 onwards . It was the world's first non-contact train protection system that is characterized by its simplicity and robustness. However, this system is no longer sufficient for today's dense traffic in many places. That is why it was supplemented by the more modern ZUB 121 system from the nineties at danger points . Today, instead of the Signum and ZUB magnets, a Eurobalise with the same information is used, the so-called Euro-Signum / Euro-ZUB (based on Protocol 44). The European ETCS is to be used in the future . At Level 2 , it will initially be installed on the new line from Bahn 2000 and in the NEAT. Later, it will be used network-wide at level 1 , combined with Euro-Signum / Euro-ZUB.

The narrow-gauge railways usually have a punctiform train protection system according to the ZSI-90 or ZST-90 standard. RBS, WSB and FB have ZSL 90 , which is a line cable system, whereby the line cable can have gaps. Finally, the Zentralbahn and the BOB ZSI 127 were installed. This train protection works with the hardware components from ETCS, but is programmed differently in order to also cover the requirements of gear operation. In addition, the Eurobalises are arranged off-center due to the gear operation. ZSI 127 should gradually replace the older systems. The first line to be upgraded was the Dietikon - Wohlen line of the BDWM.

• 

  Train protection: ZUB (yellow) Integra Signum magnets

• 

  Train protection transition phase: Eurobalise instead of ZUB, but the Signum magnets are still there

• 

  Eurobalises for ZSI-127 in Interlaken Ost (BOB)

Industry

Railway maintenance train in Andermatt

Investments

Switzerland has an efficient construction industry that specializes in the construction and maintenance of the substructure and superstructure of railway lines. More important companies in these sectors are Scheuchzer , Vanoli and Sersa .

The SBB has a railway technology center in Hägendorf , which manufactures parts of the superstructure for the railway network.

Rolling stock

The Swiss railway companies operate railway works that maintain the rolling stock and also manufacture special vehicles.

The locomotives made in Switzerland enjoyed international success from the middle of the 19th century until after the Second World War. In its heyday, the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works and the Oerlikon Machine Works exported their products all over the world. The Landi locomotive, at that time the most powerful locomotive in the world, was a symbol of spiritual national defense around 1939.

With competitive pressure and advancing globalization, the pressure to merge with international corporations increased. The production sites in Switzerland were shut down. Stadler Rail was retained as the only domestic manufacturer of rail vehicles, and it was able to assert itself internationally.

Network control operation

In terms of signal boxes, Switzerland has long been dependent on German industry, which sold its products through Signum AG in Wallisellen. With the first inductive train protection, this company achieved its first great success and international recognition in 1933 . Integra-Signum AG supplied signal boxes for the majority of Swiss train stations until it was taken over by Siemens in the 1990s after it failed to develop an electronic signal box.

See also

• Rail transport section in the article List of Helvetisms
• Transport in Switzerland
• List of Swiss railway companies
• List of train stations in Switzerland
• Trafimage

literature

• Hans G. Wägli: Swiss rail network and Swiss rail profile CH + , AS Verlag , Zurich, 2010, ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9
• Markus van der Meer, Serge Buholzer: Preliminary project “Greening of railroad verges and vegetation control without herbicides”: Report on the 2018 feasibility study . In: Agroscope Science . No. 90 , 2019 ( admin.ch [PDF; 13.8 MB ]).

Web links

• SBB - online timetable for all of Switzerland
• Trafimage maps and train station plans for Switzerland
• Association of Public Transport
• Expansion of the rail infrastructure in 2035
• Systematic collection of federal law, railways

Notes and individual references

1. ↑ http://www.blick.ch/news/wirtschaft/koennen-wir-im-zug-bald-nur-noch-haben-id1827248.html
2. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on: June 8, 2013). 
3. ↑ Middle of the Rhine bridge to Buchs or St. Margrethen station entrance
4. ↑ SBB Rafz - Neuhausen , RhB Campocologno - Tirano , BLT Basel – Leymen – Rodersdorf
5. ↑ [1]
6. ^ Agreement between Switzerland and Italy on an electric narrow-gauge railway from Locarno to Domodossola
7. ↑ admin.ch: 0.742.140.334.92 “Agreement between Switzerland and France on the construction of a railway from Thonon to Bouveret via St-Gingolph” (German) ; (French)
8. ^ "Agreement of June 14, 1881 between Switzerland and France regarding the connection of the Geneva – Annemasse railway to the Savoyard railway network near Annemasse" (SR 0.742.140.334.93)
9. ↑ SBB Railway Technology Center