SBB connections abroad "Better infrastructure is needed in surrounding countries"
From 2026, SBB and Trenitalia will be expanding their services to Italy. SBB also wants to offer better international connections in other areas. But there is not enough capacity.
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- Trenitalia and SBB will be offering new Eurocity connections between Italy and Switzerland from 2026.
- In addition to the new Italian connections, SBB would like a direct connection from Zurich to Rome, as well as better overall connections abroad, especially to France and Germany.
- However, according to Véronique Stephan, Director of Passenger Traffic at SBB, the inadequate infrastructure and therefore the lack of capacity in the surrounding countries are standing in the way of this expansion.
In addition to the new Italian connections, SBB would like to have a direct connection from Zurich to Rome. According to Véronique Stephan, Director of Passenger Traffic at SBB, the necessary rolling stock is not available, as she told the "Tamedia" newspapers.
In addition, the train paths are already heavily utilized. The fact that there is a lack of space in both Italy and Switzerland is often forgotten in the discussion about additional train connections abroad. The rail network is shared with regional and freight trains, so if you want more capacity, someone has to give up.
Stephan sees potential in a direct connection between Geneva and Lyon, but this would depend on the interest of the French partner. The partners abroad know their markets best and an international connection must be economically worthwhile, she continued.
Countries must repair networks
SBB also wants to offer better connections abroad overall. But capacity is a problem. Stephan says: "We need better infrastructure in surrounding countries." SBB would actually be competitive with air travel for journeys of a maximum of six hours. However, the countries would have to repair their networks.
For example, SBB would also offer better connections from Zurich to the Bavarian capital of Munich. "But the current infrastructure does not allow us to travel faster or more frequently on this route," explains Stephan.
New direct trains to destinations in Italy
On Friday, SBB and Trenitalia announced that they would be offering direct trains from Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa from 2026 . To mark the extension of their cooperation, the two railroad companies also presented a new Eurocity train that will run between the two countries.
An additional connection from Zurich to Milan and Venice will also be introduced from 2026, according to an SBB communiqué issued on Friday. SBB ordered four new Giruno trains in February 2024 for this expansion of services.
In 2023, SBB and Trenitalia transported around 500,000 more international passengers between the two countries than in 2019, according to the statement. In total, 2.4 million people traveled by train between Switzerland and Italy last year.
With material from the news agency Keystone-SDA.
