When a freight train derailed, the track system and a lane change gate in the Gotthard base tunnel were severely damaged. This safety-relevant device is required to separate the two tunnel tubes. Safety has top priority, which is why the second tube cannot be used for passenger or freight traffic. It cannot be used for freight traffic until at least midnight on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. This increases the travel time between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino by around an hour. Since international travelers have to change trains in Chiasso, their travel time is about two hours longer. SBB apologizes for the inconvenience.
A precise statement on the cause and extent of damage cannot be made at this time. The Swiss Safety Investigation Board and the cantonal investigation authorities are investigating the accident. The accident site has not yet been released by the investigative authorities for clean-up and repair work.
Due to the increased volume of traffic and the limited alternative connections at the weekend and the limited number of seats, SBB urgently recommends postponing spontaneous train journeys via the Gotthard and asks for your understanding.
According to the Railway Ordinance, freight trains can travel on the panoramic route up to a certain corner height. Accordingly, a large proportion of inland transport is carried out via this route, while a small proportion is temporarily transported by road. Combined transport (containers, semi-trailers, trucks) exceeds this corner height and can therefore only drive on the Gotthard axis via the Gotthard base tunnel. For this reason, combined transport in the transit area is diverted via the Lötschberg-Simplon axis or retained in the exit terminals. There are only small restrictions on the transport of goods and the flow of goods is ensured. SBB will provide information again in due course.
SBB is improving its services for travelling with bicycles for the 2021 cycling season. It is taking this step in response to strong demand and to insufficient capacity last summer. On key leisure travel lines (Bern to Brig, Zurich to Chur) SBB is tripling capacity at times of high demand from 21 March. SBB will offer customers with bicycles more reliable journey planning: thanks to reservations, passengers taking along bikes can be sure that they will find space for them on trains. The price of bicycle reservations is reduced from CHF 5 to CHF 2. SBB presented the improved services to cycling, consumer and industry organisations today and outlined future prospects for traveling with bikes.
There has been a sharp increase in demand for travelling with bikes and holidays in Switzerland due to the coronavirus crisis. In some cases this has led to capacity shortages and dissatisfied customers who were unable to travel with their bike on the train they had planned to use. Around 80,000 Bike Day Passes were sold in the peak month of July 2020, for example, which is up by around 45% compared to the previous year. SBB also transported up to 15,000 bikes with self-service loading on the main axes of Zurich to Chur and Bern to Brig.
SBB expects demand for travel with bikes to continue to rise and is responding to this trend. This is why – together with Pro Velo and the Swiss Transport and Environment Association – it engaged in broad-based dialogue with cycling stakeholders as well as consumer and industry organisations on the issue of ‘sustainable travel with bicycles’. The aim is to offer customers reliable journey planning and reservations, to further improve and simplify services and to make them even more customer-friendly. SBB has a duty of responsibility towards all customers and wishes to provide services that meet and take account of the needs of all passengers as far as possible – including, for example, people with disabilities or families.
In view of the forthcoming cycling season, which begins on 21 March, SBB has introduced various changes to make travelling with bikes easier:
SBB is increasing capacity for the self-service loading of bicycles at times of high demand on the key leisure travel lines, tripling capacity compared to the current levels where possible. These routes include Bern to Brig and Zurich to Chur. Additional capacity will also be provided on routes to Ticino, Interlaken and the southern foot of the Jura. Passengers will be assisted with the loading of bicycles by SBB staff on these lines where possible.
In order to expand capacity medium and long-term, SBB is currently assessing which technical measures can be implemented long-term to create additional bicycle spaces on various types of train. Only minor modifications to rolling stock are possible in the short term.
Customers with bicycles need to be able to plan their journey reliably and safely. SBB makes this possible on all Swiss InterCity trains with a reservation costing CHF 2. Passengers who made a reservation can be certain that they will find space for their bike on the trains. Trains are labelled with the well-known bicycle symbol in the online timetable. Bikes can only be transported using self-service loading on trains labelled with this symbol if a reservation has been made and a valid bike ticket is presented. Reservations can be made up until shortly before departure in the SBB Mobile app. They can also be purchased at the counter or several days in advance via the SBB Contact Center
(tel. 0848 44 66 88)
The price for reservations will be reduced from CHF 5 to CHF 2 for a continuous connection – for example for a route with more than one section. International trains within Switzerland can now also be used for bike transport with a reservation, but prices and booking options may differ. Bikes can be transported with a valid bicycle ticket but without a reservation on regional services (R, S, RE trains) as well as on InterRegio trains (IR).
A new ‘Flugzug’ rail service between Lugano Station and Zurich Airport is bookable now for travel from 16 October. The cost of the rail journey is included in the SWISS flight ticket.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) now offer customers a ‘Flugzug’ rail service between Lugano Station and Zurich Airport for travel on or after 16 October. Selected SBB rail connections between Lugano and Zurich Airport will be issued with a SWISS flight number, and the cost of the rail journey is included in the SWISS flight ticket price.
The ‘Flugzug’ timetable offers 14 daily services in each direction between Lugano Station and Zurich Airport. The new rail service thus provides travellers between the two points with even more flexibility than the present four daily flights. The rail services concerned also cover all the relevant SWISS connecting flights from and to its Zurich hub. The new ‘Flugzug’ services are bookable now for travel on or after 16 October, on the SWISS website or at any travel agency.
SWISS is keen to ensure that the Ticino region is well connected with its Zurich Airport air travel hub. The present arrangement is an interim solution, and SWISS and SBB are working closely on optimising the ‘Flugzug’ rail service which as a SBB feeder rail service until now only existed between Basel and Zurich Airport.
