Trenitalia and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) are renewing their cooperation and will offer new EuroCity connections between Italy and Switzerland from 2026.
With the signing of the Cooperation Agreement at Milano Centrale station, the two companies are extending their multi-year collaboration. The partnership between Trenitalia and SBB began in 2009 and is a success: they have already transported 30 million passengers between Italy and Switzerland.
Luigi Corradi, CEO of Trenitalia, and Véronique Stephan, Head of Passenger Transport Market at SBB, signed the agreement.
With the new agreement, Trenitalia and SBB want to offer additional connections in addition to the 40 trains that run daily between the two countries. From 2026, an additional connection from Zurich to Milan and Venice as well as new direct connections from Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa are to be introduced. For this expansion of services, SBB ordered four new Giruno trains in February 2024. They complement the existing fleet of 29 trains that are already in operation and the seven trains that were ordered in 2022.
“With the signing of the Cooperation Agreement, we are extending our proven partnership,” said Luigi Corradi, CEO of Trenitalia, adding: “We expect demand for cross-border connections from Italy to Switzerland to increase in the coming years and are ready to welcome travelers in modern, comfortable and sustainable trains.”
“We look back on the recent past with pride and satisfaction and are now looking to the near future. Together we transported around 500,000 more international travellers between the two countries in 2023 than in 2019. We have increased the number of connections to Milan and introduced new direct connections to Genoa and Bologna,” emphasised Véronique Stephan, Head of the Passenger Transport Market at SBB.
Rail is not only more sustainable and comfortable for travelling in Europe, but it is also becoming increasingly popular. In 2023, for example, 2.4 million people travelled by train between Switzerland and Italy.
Modernized fleet and new brand with a focus on sustainability
The new EuroCity brand and the modernization of the Trenitalia trains were also presented at the signing. These will be equipped with seat covers made of 100 percent recycled plastic, as well as new services and an updated design. The logo and many applications inside the vehicle use the brand’s characteristic green as well as colors from the flags of the two countries. The green also symbolizes sustainability, as the train is the most environmentally friendly means of transport for travel to Switzerland.
Trenitalia presented the first completely renewed ETR 610, which runs as a EuroCity between Switzerland and Italy. From 2026, all vehicles in this fleet will appear in the new design with seat covers made of recycled material, WiFi and sockets for e-bikes. The successful cooperation between the two railway companies is also noticeable in the dining cars – with a uniform quality of service across the entire fleet that runs between the two countries.
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