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SBB and its Austrian partner ÖBB want to almost double the night train traffic to 25 destinations.
An inspector on a tour of the Zurich-Vienna night train.
Photo: Keystone (Leandre Duggan)
With 19 Nightjet lines and eight other partner connections, ÖBB operates the largest night train network in Europe. In cooperation with SBB, the network comprises six lines and one more connection from Switzerland. On this basis, SBB and ÖBB want to jointly expand the range of night trains in Europe. He signed a letter of intent on September 11.
Expansion plans for “Nightjet Network Switzerland 2024” include an expansion of the Nightjet network from Switzerland to a total of ten lines and 25 destinations. As a first step of expansion, the two railways want to start a new daily Nightjet connection Zurich-Basel-Frankfurt-Cologne-Amsterdam from December 2021.
A new line will run from Zurich via Bern-Brig-Domodossola to Rome. A daily connection from Zurich via Bern-Lausanne-Geneva to Barcelona is also planned.
Now straight to Leipzig and Dresden
In addition, the capacity of the connections from Zurich via Basel to Berlin and Hamburg will be expanded and served by two separate trains on the entire route from 2023. As part of the Berlin Nightjet, the connection to Prague will now pass through Germany with sleeper cars and bunk beds. This creates a new direct connection with Leipzig and Dresden.
“We are investing in new trains, 13 state-of-the-art Nightjet equipment will be used from the end of 2022,” Andreas Matthä, CEO of ÖBB, is quoted in the press release.
Only with money from climate funds
The planned expansion can only be guaranteed with financial support from the Swiss Climate Fund, writes SBB. The Federal Parliament is discussing the full revision of the CO2 Law in the current autumn session. This provides for the support of cross-border rail traffic from the climate fund. Last week, Parliament approved the promotion of international passenger transport, including night trains.
Subject to a final vote and a possible referendum, financial support from SBB’s climate fund would allow it to offset the operating costs of night train connections, the railway company notes.
“Clearly demonstrable climate impact”
“Night trains have a clearly demonstrable impact on climate, as they change travel from plane, car or bus to train,” writes SBB. According to their own estimates, the climate impact of the current night train traffic from Switzerland saves around 50,000 tons of CO2 per year. This corresponds to the average annual emissions of 30,000 cars.
According to the press release, SBB CEO Vincent Ducrot is convinced that the demand for rail travel for fast day and night connections will continue to grow. “This development is sustainable and the demand for mobility that respects the environment and saves resources will continue to grow.”
VCS and umverkehR are happy
The Swiss Transport Club (VCS) and the environmental organization umverkehR are happy. Night trains are the only eco-friendly alternative to climate-damaging air traffic for travel within Europe. VCS has repeatedly asked SBB to quickly create an offer for international overnight train travel, according to a statement Tuesday. In a VCS study of travel behavior, 62 percent of respondents from across Switzerland stated that they would travel by night train in Europe. “So the claim is confirmed.”
The VCS wants night train connections to all those European metropolises that are most frequently reached from Switzerland, but which are more than six hours away by train. Among them are Amsterdam, Barcelona and Rome, “of which the VCS are very happy.”
A better reservation system is required
Daniel Costantino, umverkehR’s campaign manager, added that what is needed now is a customer-friendly reservation system for European travel. “We are attentive”. And Greta Stieger, umverkehR’s “Train instead of Flight” campaign project manager, added: “SBB’s night train plans are an important step in moving from one flight to another.”
