The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Swiss Federal Railways want direct trains between Zurich and Rome

Trenitalia, SBB new Eurocity train
The Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia unveiled a new Eurocity train on Friday that will run between Switzerland and Italy. Keystone / Ti-Press / Elia Bianchi

In addition to the new connections to Italy announced on Friday, the Swiss Federal Railways would like to see a direct link between Zurich and Rome, says the company's head of passenger traffic, but the necessary rolling stock does not exist.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

“Train paths are already heavily used today,” Véronique Stephan told Tamedia German-language newspapers. In the debate about additional rail connections abroad, it’s often forgotten that there’s a shortage of space in Italy as well as in Switzerland, she said. The rail network is also used by regional and freight trains. To obtain more capacity, one service has to step aside.

Stephan also sees potential in a direct link between Geneva and Lyon, but this depends on France’s interest. Partners abroad know their markets, and an international link has to be economically viable, she said.

From 2026, the Federal Railways and Trenitalia will offer direct trains to Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa. The two companies also presented a new Eurocity train to the press on Friday, which will run between the two countries.

+ Direct trains to run from Zurich to Florence and Livorno

From 2026, an additional link will be introduced between Zurich, Milan and Venice. Last year, the Federal Railways and Trenitalia carried around 500,000 more passengers between the two countries than in 2019, before the pandemic. A total of 2.4 million people travelled by train between Switzerland and Italy in 2023.

Translated from French with DeepL/gw

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

A live scarecrow competition to thrill Denens (VD)

More

Live scarecrow competition set to thrill Swiss

This content was published on The Fête de l'Epouvantail (scarecrow festival) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and returns to Denens in canton Vaud for its seventh edition from July 10-20.

Read more: Live scarecrow competition set to thrill Swiss
Man dies in accident on toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken BE

More

Man dies on Swiss toboggan run

This content was published on A 35-year-old man has died in a work accident at the valley station of the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken, canton Bern.

Read more: Man dies on Swiss toboggan run
The Swiss embassy in Tehran reopens

More

Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opens

This content was published on The Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opened on Sunday after being closed on June 20 owing to the unstable situation in the country.

Read more: Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opens
Queen of the Netherlands attends European Championship match in Lucerne

More

Euro 2025: Dutch queen cheers on team in Lucerne

This content was published on Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her youngest daughter Princess Ariane attended the Netherlands' women's European Championship football match against Wales in Switzerland on Saturday.

Read more: Euro 2025: Dutch queen cheers on team in Lucerne
30-year-old charged with drone flight at Women's European Championships

More

Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025

This content was published on A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.

Read more: Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
257 Swiss companies are members of the SBTi

More

More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

This content was published on A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Read more: More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR