Swiss Federal Railways has carried out successful tests that allowed engineers to remotely control a train near Zurich amid ongoing operations - a European first.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Русский
ru
В Швейцарии протестировали локомотив без машиниста
In the future, trains could be controlled remotely and used for short journeys on construction sites or for tunnelling work, the Federal Railways says.
Autonomous trains will not be used to carry passengers, however remote control could bring greater flexibility during construction work, the rail company said on Wednesday in a statement.
Trains could also be moved between holding locations and arrival or departure tracks. This would also allow drivers to spend less time in shunting facilities and to board trains at the same time as passengers. Occupational accidents near the tracks could also be reduced.
The tests were carried out in February and March by 24 train drivers at a remote-control facility in Oerlikon, canton Zurich. The test locomotive was at the Zurich Mülligen marshalling yard, seven kilometres away.
This was one of the first tests in Europe to be carried out amid ongoing operations, i.e. not on a test track. The test locomotive travelled at a maximum speed of 30km per hour.
However, it will probably be several years before the system can be used on a daily basis, the company said. Technical systems must be developed and operating processes and regulations must be established at European level.
The system for the tests was developed by French railway company Alstom. Federal Railways was also supported by specialists from the German Aerospace Centre in evaluating the test runs.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp/sb
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, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss oddities
Mennonite movement turns 500 in Zurich, where it all began
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Swiss want to better protect military airfields from spying
This content was published on
Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister says he wants to better protect Swiss military airfields against espionage activities.
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.
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.
Swiss accident prevention group sees federal targets at risk
This content was published on
The Swiss government's target for accident figures is at risk, reckons Mario Cavegn, member of the executive board of the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
Feminicide: Swiss justice minister calls for electronic monitoring
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has called for electronic monitoring and an ankle bracelet warning system for perpetrators of violence against women.
This content was published on
Swiss Federal Railways has tested a system to automate train traffic. If rolled out, the idea is to increase passenger and freight capacity by 30%.
This content was published on
Driving a Swiss train is a dream job for this woman, who doesn’t fear she’ll be replaced by driverless trains anytime soon.
Remote-controlled trains? Swiss rail bets on technology
This content was published on
Mobility is undergoing profound and extensive change and other modes of transport are catching up with trains in terms of price and environmental advantage, the Federal Railways acknowledged on Monday. There is increasing demand for “personalised, intermodal, networked and simple mobility”, it said in a statement. Targeted investments and increased innovation are at the forefront…
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.