SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) is partnering with German private operator Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) Germany to run an overnight service between Basle in northwestern Switzerland and Malmö in southern Sweden, via Germany and Denmark. Branded EuroNight, the new service is due to start operating three times per week from April 15, with ticket sales expected to start on November 4.
The new service will be subsidised by the Swiss government under the CO₂ Act, and is expected to contribute SFr 47m ($US 58.6m) between 2026 and 2030. However, the partners state that this funding is subject to parliamentary approval and if it is not forthcoming the service will not run. SBB says that a subsidy is necessary due to high rolling stock costs, track access charges and staff costs.
The service will depart from Basle SBB on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 17.35 and arrive in Malmö at 09.35. Trains from Malmö will depart on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays at 18.57 and arrive in Basle at 11.30.
Each train will offer a choice of sleeping, couchette and seating accommodation for around 350 passengers, plus a bistro between Basle and Padborg. A wheelchair-accessible compartment will be available.
Intermediate stops include Freiburg (Breisgau), Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt (Main) South, and Hamburg in Germany, and Padborg, Kolding, Odense, Hoeje Taastrup and Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Due to timing constraints, the service is not scheduled to stop at Copenhagen Central, but connections are available via S-Train services to/from Hoeje Taastrup and Copenhagen Airport.
Fares have not yet been revealed, but SBB says they will be comparable with other overnight services from Switzerland.
Competing services
The announcement comes shortly after Sweden’s state-owned operator SJ confirmed that it will cease operating overnight trains between Stockholm and Berlin on August 31 next year, although private operator Snälltåget, intends to fill the void.
RDC, which is currently SJ’s partner in Germany, plans to continue operating the full Berlin - Hamburg - Stockholm service on its own when SJ withdraws.
RDC says that although the former SJ and SBB services share the same route between Hamburg and Malmö, they will be two separate trains and cars will not be swapped between the two services. Both RDC and SBB plan to use existing rolling stock.
