Rail transport in Switzerland
The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-Alp freight system. This is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics.
| Rail network of Switzerland | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Südostbahn Traverso on the Gotthard Railway | |||||
| Operation | |||||
| National railway | Swiss Federal Railways | ||||
| Major operators | Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) BLS AG (BLS) Rhaetian Railway (RhB) Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB) | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 5,323 km (3,308 mi) | ||||
| Electrified | 99% | ||||
| High-speed | 137 km (85.1 mi) | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| Main | 1,435 mm / 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge | ||||
| High-speed | standard gauge | ||||
| 1,000 mm metre gauge | 865.7 km (537.9 mi) | ||||
| 800 mm | 55.2 km (34.3 mi) | ||||
| 750 mm | 13 km (8.1 mi) | ||||
| 1,200 mm | 1.964 km (1.2 mi) | ||||
| Electrification | |||||
| Main | 15 kV 16.7 Hz | ||||
| standard gauge | 3,773.4 km (2,344.7 mi) | ||||
| metre gauge | 865.7 km (537.9 mi) | ||||
| Features | |||||
| No. tunnels | 612 | ||||
| Tunnel length | 439.4 km (273.03 mi) | ||||
| Longest tunnel | Gotthard Base Tunnel 57.09 km (35.47 mi) | ||||
| No. bridges | 7558 | ||||
| No. stations | 1838 | ||||
| Highest elevation | Jungfraujoch railway station | ||||
| at | 3,454 metres (11,332 ft) | ||||
| Lowest elevation | Piano di Magadino | ||||
| at | 200 metres (660 ft) | ||||
| |||||
With 5,200 kilometres (3,200 mi) network length, Switzerland has a dense railway network, and is the clear European leader in kilometers traveled: 2,505 km per inhabitant and year (2019). Worldwide, only the Japanese travel more by train.
Virtually 100% of its network is electrified, except for the few tracks on which steam locomotives operate for tourism purposes only. There are 74 railway companies in Switzerland. The share of commuters who travel to work using public transport (as the main mode of transport) is 30%. The share of rail in goods transport performance by road and rail (modal split) is 39%.
Switzerland was ranked first among national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index for its intensity of use, quality of service and strong safety rating. Switzerland had excellent intensity of use, notably driven by passenger traffic, a good rating for quality of service, and a very good rating for safety. Switzerland captured high value in return for public investment with cost to performance ratios that outperform the average ratio for all European countries.
Switzerland is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Switzerland is 85.