SWITZERLAND | SBB-CFF-FFS to buy 21 high-speed trains for international services

Swiss Federal Railways SBB-CFF-FFS has decided to purchase 21 new high-speed trainsets for international passenger services, with options for a further 20. The trains are intended to support the expansion of cross-border rail services as demand for international travel continues to grow.

The decision, announced on 25 September, marks a change from the procurement strategy originally envisaged in 2025. SBB-CFF-FFS had initially planned to acquire up to 40 high-speed trains through a 15-year operating lease. Following a detailed assessment of procurement and financing options, the railway concluded that purchasing the trains outright would be compatible with its long-term investment planning and more economical over their entire lifecycle.

Greater flexibility for international services

SBB-CFF-FFS says owning the trains will give it greater flexibility to develop international services and strengthen cooperation with partner railways. It will also make it easier to adjust capacity as demand changes.

The decision means that the prequalification procedure for potential leasing companies, launched in 2025, will be terminated. An international tender for the new high-speed trains is expected to be launched in the first half of 2027.

The 21 trains will form the initial fleet, while options for a further 20 have been secured. This effectively retains the possibility of reaching the previously envisaged fleet of up to 40 trains once future service requirements become clearer.

Italy and France the main markets

SBB-CFF-FFS has identified Italy, and France as the main markets for the new trains. Potential future services to destinations such as Barcelona in Spain, and London in the United Kingdom have also been considered. But Belgium and the Netherlands are in the pipeline too.

The trains are expected to enter service from the 2030s, when SBB-CFF-FFS will also need to replace some of its older international rolling stock. In March 2025, the railway said that its first-generation Astoro trains and ETR 610s would need to be replaced during the second half of the 2030s.

International rail demand has continued to increase. More than 6 million passengers travelled internationally by train in the first half of 2026, up 1.3% compared with the same period in 2025, according to SBB-CFF-FFS CEO Vincent Ducrot.

Leasing plan abandoned

The decision represents a significant change from the financing approach announced in August 2025. At the time, SBB-CFF-FFS said its financial situation meant that an operating lease would be the preferred way of obtaining up to 40 high-speed trains.

The railway subsequently prequalified four leasing companies – AlphaTrains, Beacon Rail, Rock Rail, and Willow Group – for the planned 15-year leasing contract. The leasing procedure will now be discontinued.

SBB-CFF-FFS had been studying both outright purchase and leasing since early 2025, including discussions with train manufacturers and leasing companies. The railway had also considered purchasing the trains together with a 15-year maintenance and service contract.

Replacing and expanding the international fleet

SBB-CFF-FFS currently operates 19 Alstom New Pendolino tilting trainsets, branded Astoro, on international services between Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. These trains have a maximum speed of 250 km/h and entered service from 2009.

The railway also operates 41 Stadler Smile/Giruno trainsets, which form the backbone of its international services on the north-south axis.

The new high-speed trains will eventually supplement and replace parts of the existing international fleet, while providing SBB-CFF-FFS with additional capacity for the expansion of cross-border services.

2013 Grand Tour of Switzerland

In 2013 Danny went on a Grand Tour of Switzerland by rail. 

1. Brussels – Luxembourg – Strasbourg – Basel;
2. The old Gotthard Line; 
3. Locarno to Brig, via the Centovalli, through Italy and the Simplon Tunnel;
4. Brig to Zermatt on the Mattherhorn and Gotthard Bahn;
5. Gornergratbahn;
6. Matterhorn Glacier Paradise;
7. Zermatt to Interlaken;
8. Jungfrau;
9. First cable car; 
10. Schilthorn Mountain and Trümmelbach Falls;
11. Schynige Platte Bahn;
12. Meiringen and the Reichenbach Falls; 
13. Zentralbahn to Lucerne and Engelberg; 
14. Lucerne and Kussnacht am Rigi; 
15. Rigi Mountain and Schwyz.

Danny touring Switzerland in 2018

1. Milan – Bernina – Sankt Moritz;
2. Hotel Soldanella Sankt Moritz;
3. Albula, Furka and Loetschberg passes;
4. Waldhotel Doldenhorn Kandersteg;
5. The Golden Pass line;
6. Golf Hôtel René Capt Montreux;
7. Swiss Riviera;
8. Lake Geneva and Geneva;
9. InterContinental Geneva;
10. TGV Lyria.

Timothy going to Switzerland in 2018, 2019 and 2020

• Antwerp to Zug by train;
• PHOTOS | Zug city tour;
• PHOTOS | Swiss Museum of Transport Verkehrshaus in Lucerne;
• VIDEO | Pilatus-Bahn – Mount Pilatus cogwheel railway in Switzerland;
• VIDEO | Gotthard Pass and Old Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland;
• Landesmuseum Zürich and Zürich itself;
• Paris – Geneva – Lausanne with TGV Lyria first class on an Alstom TGV Duplex;
• REVIEW | Tralala Hotel Montreux;
• VIDEO | Snow white GoldenPass Line ride from Montreux to Zweisimmen, Interlaken and Lucerne in Switzerland;
• VIDEO | Mythical Mythen, Schwyz, Switzerland;
• Zürich – Frankfurt – Brussels with Deutsche Bahn’s ICE high speed trains;
• Antwerp – Brussels – Cologne – Basel – Zürich – Zug by train;
• Château de Gruyères Castle in Switzerland’s Fribourg canton;
• VIDEO | La Maison du Gruyère – Gruyère House in Gruyères, Fribourg, Switzerland;
• Walking on a frozen lake at Valbella and Lenzerheide (Lai) in Grisons, Switzerland;
• SWITZERLAND | Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station;
• SWITZERLAND | Rapperswil-Jona, Town of Roses;
• SWITZERLAND | Einsiedeln and its Abbey;
• EUROCITY EC-8 | Zürich to Cologne in SBB’s Panoramic Car;
• Bearhunting in Bern;
• Antwerp to Zug: the Frankfurt – Zurich Business Route;
• SWITZERLAND | Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg, canton Zurich;
• Kunsthaus Zürich art museum;
• ZUG | ‘Neuer Zuger Trail’ art and architecture walking rally by smartphone;
• Coping with train delays and cancellations: Zug – Antwerp when everything goes wrong.

2022 Train Tour of Switzerland ft. Circuit Zandvoort and the Mont-Blanc Express

1. Zandvoort, home of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
2. REVIEW | ÖBB Nightjet Amsterdam – Zurich night train.
3. SWITZERLAND 2022 | Thun and Thun Castle.
4. SWITZERLAND 2022 | The Lausanne Métro.
5. REVIEW | Hotel du Raisin in Lausanne.
6. SWITZERLAND 2022 | The Vineyard Terraces of Lavaux in Vaud.
7. SWITZERLAND 2022 | Two days in Lausanne.
8. Romandy.
9. SWITZERLAND 2022 | Sankt Moritz.
10. REVIEW | Hotel Arte in Sankt Moritz.
11. SWITZERLAND | The Glacier Express from Sankt Moritz to Brig (and to Zermatt).
12. SWITZERLAND | The Grisons or Graubünden.
13. SWITZERLAND 2022 | Thurbo Seelinie, discovering Switzerland’s northern lake route.
14. SWITZERLAND 2022 | Sankt Gallen.
15. SWITZERLAND 2022 | Voralpen-Express: Sankt Gallen – Rapperswil – Lucerne.
16. MONT-BLANC EXPRESS | Linking Martigny, Chamonix and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in the Alps.
17. REVIEW | Urban Hôtel & Spa in Aix-les-Bains.
18. Switzerland 2022.
19. EUROCITY EC-52 | Milan to Basel (and to Frankfurt) via the Simplon Tunnel.
20. SWITZERLAND | Basel during Herbstmesse.
21. REVIEW | Hyperion Basel.
22. EUROCITY EC-8 | Basel to Cologne in SBB’s Panoramic Car.

Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Switzerland

• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Geneva.
• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Basel.
• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Sankt Gallen.
• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Bern.
• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Zurich.
• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Lucerne.
• SWITZERLAND | Introducing Lausanne.
• SWITZERLAND | Biel/Bienne, Lugano and Fribourg named as potential 2025 Eurovision Contest host cities.
• SWITZERLAND | Eurovision Song Contest 2025 to be held in Basel or Geneva.