Switzerland’s parliament wants to subsidise a new night train linking Basel with Malmö in Sweden, but not everyone is on board. Why is that?
Switzerland’s government is committed to expanding international routes between Swiss and European cities.
For instance, in 2026, two additional trains will run in each direction between Zurich and Milan.
The direct connection to Bologna will be extended to Florence, and the summer train to Genoa will now run to La Spezia.
Between Switzerland and France, a direct train from Lausanne (via Geneva) will run to Marseille seasonally, from April to October, between Thursdays and Mondays.
The new 2026 timetable also offers more comfort for night train passengers: modern Nightjet trains with mini cabins and private toilets and showers will be used to connect Zurich and Basel with Hamburg, Amsterdam and Vienna.
Further down the line, Switzerland is eyeing a direct connection to the UK as well.
READ ALSO: Switzerland commits to creating direct rail link with London
And starting in April 2026, three night trains per week should be running between Basel and Malmö, via Copenhagen, in each direction — or six per week.
At least, that’s the plan, though some MPs want to derail it.
What is the problem?
The Parliament decided to allocate 30 million francs per year for international rail connections over the next six years.
However, for cost-cutting reasons, the first instalment — for the current year — was lowered to 10 million francs.
The Federal Council said it doesn’t want to exceed this figure in the future either. This leaves only 60 million francs (versus 180 million originally set aside for this purpose) to be spent on the international train network.
The Federal Transport Office (FOT) has, however, decided to allocate the bulk of this money — 47 million francs to be exact — to a single project, namely the new route from Basel to Malmö.
This means that approximately 30,000 francs will be spent for each train on this line.
This money, according to Sabrina Schellenberg, a spokesperson for the national railway company SBB, will be spent “on train paths and energy costs, but also the costs of rolling stock and personnel.”
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‘Waste of taxpayers’ money’
Not all MPs are on board with this spending strategy, however.
For deputy Thomas Hurter from the Swiss People’s Party, a member of the parliamentary Transport Committee, a subsidy of 30,000 francs per train journey is a bad idea.
“I believe this is essentially a waste of taxpayers’ money because [the SBB] is investing in a route that doesn’t necessarily have a future, and the money would be better used for existing routes,” he said.
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What is likely to happen next?
It is too early to say.
That’s because it is not yet certain whether the money for the new night train service from Basel to Malmö will actually be paid out.
The Parliament must approve the funding every December as part of the federal budget debate.
