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As early as 2025, new daily train connections could pass through Switzerland to Amsterdam and Rome. The German transport minister is planning that. But the obstacles are high.
Until 1987, the “Trans Europ Express” linked Switzerland with Europe. The concept will be resurrected with new trains.
The trains of the legendary “Trans Europ Express” should start rolling again, at least if German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has his way. On Monday he presented his plans for “TEE 2.0”. The first lines, for which no new infrastructure would be necessary, could be operational in 2025, he told the newspapers of the Funke media group. EU states must sign a declaration of intent this year.
Switzerland would also benefit. As a first step, a connection is planned from Amsterdam via Cologne, Frankfurt, Basel, Aarau and Arth Goldau to Lugano, Milan and Rome. The concept, which was developed, among others, by the Swiss consulting and software company SMA, initially foresees a travel time of 13 hours and 45 minutes for the entire route.
The train is supposed to run once a day. In Basel, the Badischer Bahnhof would be used. The departure to Rome would be at 3:00 p.m., in Aarau at 3:30 p.m. and in Arth Goldau at 4:15 p.m. The train is scheduled to arrive in Rome at 10 pm Connections to and from Zurich would be guaranteed at Aarau and Arth Goldau. In the opposite direction, the trip from Aarau to Amsterdam should take 7 hours and 15 minutes, and from Basel to Amsterdam less than seven hours.
The trains will be operated by a new company that would initially be founded by the French SNCF and Deutsche Bahn. Other interested railways should be able to participate in it. SBBs are explicitly mentioned.
SBB is interested
SBB says they have not yet been included in the plans. “But we take note of the proposal to organize a cross-border TEE with interest,” said a spokesperson. “We are open and interested in discussing how we can make international passenger transport even more attractive and economical for railways with such an offering.”
Before TEE trains travel across Europe again, there are still many open questions to be answered. The rail system in Europe consists of a large number of different regulations and safety and energy systems. The more approvals a train needs, the more possible sources of error it will have. Furthermore, connections with such a long duration are prone to interruptions of all kinds and therefore delays. This is exemplified in the ICE daily from Hamburg to Chur. In the last 30 days this ended prematurely on eight occasions, in less than half of the cases it reached the destination on time.
Stadler: “Our trains would be adequate”
For the Swiss, the plans also have the disadvantage that they are left out of the big train stations like Bern or Zurich HB. Therefore, many would have to go to another train station first and switch to the TEE there. For Aarau or Arth Goldau, on the other hand, Europe could get closer if the notice boards read soon: To Amsterdam, without changing trains.
Candidate for “TEE 2.0”: Stadler’s “Smile” Gotthard train, which SBB calls the “Giruno”.
The journey can even be completed on Swiss rolling stock. For its TEE plans, the German ministry refers to four trains that are already in use and can be used in many countries. In addition to the TGV from Alstom, the Velaro from Siemens and the Zefiro from Bombardier, this also includes Stadler’s new Gotthard Giruno train.
The Thurgau train manufacturer is following the discussion, as a spokesperson says. “We welcome any consideration that strengthens public transportation.” The Giruno, marketed by Stadler as “Smile”, would be basically suitable for the TEE project: “The train is already running in Switzerland and Italy,” the spokesperson said. “Approval for Austria and Germany will follow soon.”
