Basel-Malmö night train to start in 2026 pending parliament approval

Direct night train connection to Malmö planned from spring Keystone-SDA

The direct night train connection from Basel to Malmö in Sweden is due to start in mid-April. However, parliament still has to approve the budget for this.

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The night train from Basel main station to Copenhagen and Malmö will run three times a week in both directions throughout the year from April 15, 2026, as announced by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) on Thursday. Departure from Basel is at 5:35pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with arrival in Malmö at 9:35am, according to SBB. From Malmö, the trains leave at 18:57 on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays and arrive in Basel at 11:30.

Although night trains are popular, they are not profitable due to high costs. Financial support from the federal government is therefore required for the introduction and operation of this train.

Parliament must give the green light

The federal government has currently earmarked a total of around CHF47 million ($58.7 million) up to 2030 as part of the CO2 Act. The budgets still have to be approved by Parliament in the winter session. If this is not the case, the night train will not be able to run. In this case, SBB would inform customers in good time and refund tickets that have already been booked, according to the statement

Tickets for the EuroNight train from Basel to Copenhagen and Malmö are expected to go on sale starting November 4, 2025.

According to the press release, the EuroNight train offers space for around 350 travellers in sleeping, couchette and seating carriages. Intermediate stops include Freiburg (Breisgau), Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt (Main) Süd, Hamburg, Padborg, Kolding, Odense, Hoeje Taastrup and Copenhagen Airport. A stop at Copenhagen Central Station is not planned due to time constraints, but the Danish capital can be reached from Hoeje Taastrup or Copenhagen Airport in around 15 minutes by S-Bahn.

The EuroNight train covers a distance of over 1,400 kilometres through Switzerland, Germany and Denmark to Sweden. The night train connection is operated by SBB in cooperation with RDC Germany, as was also reported. This is a private railway company “with many years of experience in international night train services”.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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