Sections of Swiss railways abroad
Sections of Swiss railways abroad are sections of railway lines operated by Swiss railway infrastructure companies that either cross foreign territory close to the border for the purpose of direct routing or that lead from the national border to the next larger town. 14 km of railway lines in neighboring countries are owned by Swiss companies.
Eglisau – Neuhausen am Rheinfall railway line
The Rhine Falls Railway, opened in 1857, was unable to adequately meet the needs of the Gotthard feeder. The Swiss Northeast Railway (NOB) therefore soon decided to build a more direct route from Neuhausen via Eglisau to Bülach . Since the new line at Jestetten and Lottstetten runs through German territory, a state treaty was signed on May 21, 1875 between Switzerland and the Grand Duchy of Baden , which regulates the construction and operation of the line. On June 1, 1897, the continuous line was opened to traffic. Due to the nationalization of the NOB, the line has belonged to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) since January 1, 1902 .
Etzwilen – Rielasingen railway line
The Swiss National Railway opened a cross-border line in 1875 with the Etzwilen – Singen line. After the bankruptcy in 1878, the line came to the NOB and via this to the SBB. Passenger transport was switched to buses in 1957. In 2004 the freight traffic was stopped. Up to this point in time, it was the last non-electrified line operated by SBB. Today it is an independent cross-border museum railway line. The route is only passable to Rielasingen and no longer as far as Singen .
Simplon tunnel to Italy
The Simplon line is a main railway line and connects the Lake Geneva region and Paris with Lombardy . The Swiss section is owned and operated by SBB. It leads from Vallorbe on the French border through the cantons of Vaud and Wallis to Iselle di Trasquera in Italy. Construction began in 1855. The last section, the approx. 19.8 km long Simplon Tunnel between Brig and Iselle, was opened in 1906 after eight years of construction. A second tube was added between 1912 and 1921, and this was opened to traffic in 1922.
With the Varzo screw tunnel, the Italian State Railways (FS) is making the southern extension to Domodossola , which, like the Swiss part of the Simplon line , is electrified with the SBB 15,000 volt 16.7 Hertz power system .
Bernina Railway (Campocologno – Tirano)
The Bernina Railway , also known as the Bernina Line , is a single - track meter - gauge railway line operated by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and was an independent railway company (abbreviated to BB ) until the Second World War . The mountain railway, electrified with 1000 volts direct current , was designed as a tourist railway and connects the health resort of St. Moritz in the Swiss canton of Graubünden with the Italian city of Tirano via the Bernina Pass . After the Albula line was opened to traffic in 1905 , the Bernina Railway Company (BB) was founded with the aim of connecting St. Moritz with Tirano via the Bernina Pass. Between 1908 and 1910 the opening took place in several sections.
South of the border station Campocologno , an unusually large station due to the customs clearance carried out there, the line reaches Italy and after crossing the main square of Tirano its terminus. This is where the Bernina Railway meets the standard gauge line of the Italian state infrastructure company Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), the Ferrovia Alta Valtellina .
Birsigtalbahn
The extension of the Birsigtalbahn to Rodersdorf, which was completed in 1910 , made the route international, as it runs almost three kilometers over French territory and also serves a station in Alsace with the Leymen train station . Today the meter-gauge route is operated as a tram by Baselland Transport AG (BLT) .
See also
● List of Swiss rail border crossings.
● Section Cross-border routes in the article Rail traffic in Switzerland
literature
● Hans G. Wägli: Swiss rail network and Swiss rail profile CH + , in a slipcase. AS Verlag , Zurich, 2010, ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9