Switzerland eyes high-speed train fleet for European connections
SBB examines procurement of high-speed trains
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Listening: Switzerland eyes high-speed train fleet for European connections
Swiss Federal Railways is considering the procurement of up to 40 high-speed trains that could service international connections, such as Italy and France.
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SBB prüfen Beschaffung von Hochgeschwindigkeitszügen
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The fleet could also be used for other destinations such as Barcelona or London from 2030. More and more customers in other countries are travelling to and from Switzerland by train, and further growth is expected.
Swiss Railways therefore wants to expand its services in this area, explaining its decision to review the procurement project. The company is working intensively on expanding cross-border connections in cooperation with partner railways. However, the company will need more trains in future, while at the same time replacing older vehicles in the second half of the 2030s.
However, there are currently no routes in Switzerland that can be travelled at speeds that are internationally defined as high speed, a Swiss Railways spokeswoman told the Keystone-SDA news agency. Trains that can travel at over 300 km/h are defined internationally as high speed. However, the maximum speed in Switzerland is 200 km/h, according to the Swiss Railways website. The trains would therefore only travel at high speed on the foreign section of the respective routes.
On the Simap procurement platform, Swiss Railways put two information exchanges out to tender in order to clarify how the high-speed trains could be procured and maintained. Specifically, the railway company is examining two options: on the one hand, the purchase including a service contract for the maintenance of the trains for 15 years and, on the other hand, an operating lease contract, also for 15 years.
The exchange of information with potential rolling stock manufacturers and lessors should take place in April or May of the current year, SBB also announced. A possible tender is expected to take place in 2026.
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