CFF upgrades its network in Northwest Switzerland; td

Major updates at a glance

Basel–Liestal and Basel–Biel–Lausanne: Following significant infrastructure upgrades, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will introduce 15-minute S-Bahn service between Liestal and Basel SBB, and—in coordination with Bern-based rail operator BLS—a new 30-minute ICE-level intercity frequency between Basel SBB and Biel/Bienne via Delémont. The IC51 line will restore direct service from Basel to Lausanne and the Lake Geneva region.

Domestic weekend night routes: The SBB will continue test-running its 2025-launched night long-distance trains, now available on almost every weekend. These run on the Bern–Olten–Zurich HB–Zurich Airport–Winterthur corridor, with onward connections to night S-Bahn and night buses in Bern, Olten and Zurich. Additional weekend night trains will serve Fribourg–Lausanne–Geneva Airport, Sion–Lausanne–Geneva Airport, and Biel/Bienne–Lausanne (via Renens and Renens–Geneva Airport).

German-speaking Switzerland–Chiasso: Thanks to extra EuroCity (EC) train services and an IC2 extension from Lugano to Chiasso, a full hourly, nonstop service will operate from German-speaking Switzerland to Chiasso.

Chur–Zurich: For the first time, the IC3 line will run every 30 minutes even on weekdays, offering consistent half-hourly service between Graubünden and Zurich.

Seasonal leisure trains: The RE25 will again connect Zurich and Einsiedeln directly during selected winter weekends for the Christmas market and ski resorts. Limited-trial direct trains from Rapperswil to Chur will also launch during selected weekends.

Switzerland–Denmark–Sweden: A new Basel SBB–Copenhagen–Malmö night train will start on April 15, 2026, with three departures per week in each direction. Basel departures will be on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and southbound departures from Malmö and Copenhagen Airport will run on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. Operation depends on federal funding under Switzerland’s CO₂ law.

Switzerland–Italy: Two additional daily train pairs between Zurich and Milan Central will launch. The Bologna service will extend to Florence, and the Genoa train will reach further south to La Spezia, Livorno on weekends, and run seasonally from late March to late May and in October. From June to September, services are not guaranteed due to ongoing rail works in Italy.

Switzerland–Germany: The SBB will launch its first direct ICE services from Brig into Germany. Four new cross-border direct services to Chur will also start. The SBB is expanding international door-to-destination baggage service, allowing luggage to be picked up from passengers’ homes and delivered abroad.

Switzerland–France: The seasonal Lausanne–Marseille direct service will expand from April through October 2026, operating Thursday to Monday, and continuing daily in July and August.

The full 2026 schedule is fully searchable and bookable via sbb.ch, with national bookings up to 12 months ahead, and international tickets up to 6 months ahead.