Rail

Because of the punctuality and reliability of their public transport systems, the Swiss are the most frequent rail travellers in all of Europe. Every day, 9,000 trains run on the 3,000-km (1,865-mile) rail network operated by SBB (Swiss Federal Railways). In addition to SBB, there are a number of private railway companies in Switzerland that operate on tracks covering a little more than 2,000 km (almost 1,250 miles). In spite of the fact that this rail network has the highest capacity utilization in Europe, the trains are very punctual. Nineteen out of every twenty passenger trains arrive at their destination within five minutes of the scheduled arrival time. In order to protect the population and the environment, more and more freight traffic will be moved from road to rail in the future.

Three major rail projects now underway will provide important benefits to Switzerland and Europe over the medium and long term. They will increase transport capacities, reduce passenger and freight traffic on roads and highways, and help protect and preserve the ecologically sensitive Alpine region.

• Rail 2000: New lines in Switzerland’s central region (Mittelland) will allow long-distance trains to run every half hour. They will optimize the connections between major centres and will ensure much shorter travel times.
• AlpTransit or NRLA Project: The new Lötschberg and Gotthard transalpine lines are designed to provide new, fast north-south connections and facilitate substantial expansion of capacity and services. Long-distance travel times have been reduced by the Lötschberg base tunnel, which is 34 km (21 miles) long and already in operation. You can now get to Milan from Berne in less than 2 3/4 hours. As for freight transport, the new Lötschberg base route helps meet a key goal of Swiss transport policy, which is to transfer transalpine freight traffic from road to rail. It permits a substantial increase in transport capacities, and the larger tunnel cross-sections allow heavier freight trains to pass through (shuttle profile). The AlpTransit or NRLA project (“New Rail Link through the Alps”) is being built in stages. The Gotthard base tunnel, which is expected to be opened in 2016, will be the longest tunnel in the world at 57 km (over 35 miles).
• Link to the European high-speed rail network: Connection to the European high-speed rail network (TGV and ICE) will make Switzerland the most important hub in Europe’s future high-speed network. The Swiss government will invest a total of CHF 1,090 million (2003 prices) in the rail network by the end of 2015 in order to provide better connections with the European high-speed network. This will shorten travel times from Switzerland to Paris, Lyon, Munich, Ulm and Stuttgart.