The Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia unveiled a new Eurocity train on Friday that will run between Switzerland and Italy.
Keystone / Ti-Press / Elia Bianchi
In addition to the new connections to Italy announced on Friday, the Swiss Federal Railways would like to see a direct link between Zurich and Rome, says the company’s head of passenger traffic, but the necessary rolling stock does not exist.
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“Train paths are already heavily used today,” Véronique Stephan told Tamedia German-language newspapers. In the debate about additional rail connections abroad, it’s often forgotten that there’s a shortage of space in Italy as well as in Switzerland, she said. The rail network is also used by regional and freight trains. To obtain more capacity, one service has to step aside.
Stephan also sees potential in a direct link between Geneva and Lyon, but this depends on France’s interest. Partners abroad know their markets, and an international link has to be economically viable, she said.
From 2026, the Federal Railways and Trenitalia will offer direct trains to Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa. The two companies also presented a new Eurocity train to the press on Friday, which will run between the two countries.
+ Direct trains to run from Zurich to Florence and Livorno
From 2026, an additional link will be introduced between Zurich, Milan and Venice. Last year, the Federal Railways and Trenitalia carried around 500,000 more passengers between the two countries than in 2019, before the pandemic. A total of 2.4 million people travelled by train between Switzerland and Italy in 2023.
Translated from French with DeepL/gw
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