Rail transport in Switzerland

Rail transport in Switzerland is noteworthy for the density of its network, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-Alp freight system. It is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics.
With network length, Switzerland has a dense railway network, and is the clear European leader in kilometres traveled: per inhabitant and year. 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 is 30%. The share of rail in goods transport performance by road and rail 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 an excellent 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.
Passenger trains have two travel classes: 1st class, sometimes with larger windows, and 2nd class. Long-distance trains feature an on-board restaurant in the middle of the train and sometimes a "kids area" at one end of the train. Rail and most other modes of public transport operate under clock-face scheduling. There is a national integrated ticketing system for rail, bus and other modes of transport, grouped in tariff networks. The Swiss Travel Pass facilitates travel by train, bus and boat for tourists.
Switzerland is a member of the International Union of Railways. The UIC Country Code for Switzerland is 85.

Standard-gauge railways

Three quarters of the Swiss rail network is at standard-gauge, comprising, administered mostly by three companies. Important railway stations are the Zürich HB, Bern, Lucerne, Winterthur, Basel SBB, Lausanne, Zürich Oerlikon, and Geneva. The main operators of the standard gauge railway lines are Swiss Federal Railways, BLS, and Südostbahn. Other standard gauge operators are CJ, Sihltal [Zürich Uetliberg Bahn|SZU], TPF and TransN.

Swiss Federal Railways

Swiss Federal Railways is the largest railway company in Switzerland and handles most of national and international traffic. It operates the central east–west track in the Swiss Plateau area serving all larger Swiss cities and many smaller ones, and the north–south routes through the Alps via the Gotthard Line through the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the Simplon Tunnel. It operates most long-distance services, including EuroCity, InterCity, InterRegio and RegioExpress services. SBB and its subsidiaries also runs many Regio and S-Bahn lines. Its subsidiary SBB GmbH operates regional trains serving stations in Germany, including two lines located entirely in Germany, near the border with Switzerland. SBB Cargo handles freight operations.

Total route length:.

BLS

The BLS AG operates 10% of the Swiss standard-gauge network. It manages the second major Alpine route, via both Lötschberg tunnels and connection at with SBB's Simplon Tunnel to Italy. BLS operates InterRegio, RegioExpress and Regio services. It also operates S-Bahn trains for Bern S-Bahn and Lucerne S-Bahn. Freight trains are operated by its subsidiary BLS Cargo.

Total route length:.

SOB

The Schweizerische Südostbahn AG owns railway lines in Central and Eastern Switzerland. It operates services over its own network and lines owned by SBB, partly as joint-ventures. Since the early 1990s, it operates a long-distance service between and under the name Voralpen Express. This InterRegio service runs hourly via Herisau, the main town of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, the Toggenburg valley, the lakeside dam on Lake Zurich, the high moorland of Rothenthurm, Lake Zug and Lake Lucerne. Since 2020, the SOB also operates the Treno Gottardo over the old Gotthard railway between / and, and since 2021 the Aare Linth between and . SOB also runs some S-Bahn services of Lucerne S-Bahn, St. Gallen S-Bahn and Zurich S-Bahn.

Total route length:, of which are their own.

Rail links to other countries

Standard gauge
* Austria – same voltage 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC
* France – voltage change 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC / 25 kV, 50 Hz AC or 1,500 V DC
* Germany – same voltage 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC
* Italy – voltage change 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC / 3 kV DC
* Liechtenstein – same voltage 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC

Although Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein all use the same voltage as Switzerland, dedicated types of locomotives are necessary due to Switzerland using narrower pantographs.
;Germany
Several railway lines cross the Germany–Switzerland border. The most important one is the Mannheim–Basel line, which links stations in Germany with Basel Badischer Bahnhof in the Swiss city of Basel. This station is also the western terminus of the Rhine Railway">Vorderrhein">Rhine Railway, which runs east–west along the High Rhine and across the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen, and of the Wiese Valley Railway to. Stations along these lines, including those in Switzerland, are owned by the German BEV, except Schaffhausen railway station, which is jointly owned with Swiss Federal Railways. Other cross-border lines include the Eglisau–Neuhausen railway, corresponding to the shortest route between and Schaffhausen, which passes over German territory with two active railway stations, both owned and operated by SBB. Another railway line connects the border stations of and via a bridge over the High Rhine. A loop of the Lake Line links Switzerland with the German border city of Konstanz on Lake Constance. Another railway line, the Etzwilen–Singen railway, is only used by heritage trains.
Deutsche Bahn operates long-distance trains from Germany to Swiss cities, including Intercity-Express services to, Zürich HB,, and. DB also operates an InterCity service between Zürich HB and, and an Interregio-Express over the High Rhine line between Basel Badischer Bahnhof and. On the other hand, SBB runs EuroCity services between Zurich HB and, via in Austria. There is also one InterRegio line and one RegioExpress line with as their terminus. SBB GmbH, SBB's German subsidiary, also operates a regional line, named the Seehas, and one line of Basel S-Bahn entirely on German territory close to the Swiss border.
;France
There are a few railway lines crossing the France–Switzerland border, the most-frequented ones being the Lyon–Geneva railway and the Strasbourg–Basel railway lines. TGV Lyria, a joint-venture between SBB and the French SNCF, operates high-speed trains from Paris or southern France to and or Basel SBB and Zurich HB. Some RegioExpress trains of SBB also connect with stations in France. The Léman Express is a commuter rail system linking Geneva with stations in Switzerland and France. Some cross-border regional trains services are provided by TER.
;Austria and Liechtenstein
Only one standard gauge railway line crosses the Austria–Switzerland border, the St. Margrethen–Lauterach line, while another one, the Feldkirch–Buchs railway line, connects the two countries via the Principality of Liechtenstein. Austrian Federal Railways operates the Railjet and the Transalpin between Zurich HB and several destinations in Austria. The services run via and through Liechtenstein to either Wien Hbf or Graz Hbf and call, among others, at Innsbruck Hbf and Salzburg Hbf. The other line is used by EC trains and regional trains of Bodensee S-Bahn.
Rail transport to Liechtenstein is provided by Vorarlberg S-Bahn, operated by ÖBB. There are also bus links between Swiss railway stations and Liechtenstein.
;Italy
The main railway lines linking Switzerland with Italy are the Gotthard railway and the Simplon railway. SBB and the Italian Trenitalia jointly operate EC services across the Italy–Switzerland border. These services run between and or even via the Simplon Tunnel. Between Basel and Milan via Bern and the Lötschberg Base and Simplon Tunnels, and between Zurich HB and Milan via the Gotthard route. These routes were previously operated by Cisalpino. Other standard-gauge lines crossing the border are operated by regional trains of Treni Regionali [Ticino Lombardia|TILO].
;Night trains
There are also EuroNight services between Switzerland and other European countries. The Austrian ÖBB operates Nightjet trains between Swiss, Austrian, Dutch and German destinations.

Narrow-gauge railways

Due to lack of space, the trains partly run on the street or right next to it.

RhB and MGB

The Rhätische Bahn,, is the longest metre-gauge railway network in Switzerland. Located in the eastern Swiss Alps, it links Arosa, Disentis, Davos and St. Moritz with Chur in the canton of Grisons. One line, operated by the Bernina Express, crosses the Italy–Switzerland border to Tirano in the Valtellina valley. The Bernina Pass is the highest point on this line, at an altitude of. It is also the highest rail crossing in Europe. and are RhB's rail junctions with the Swiss Federal Railways' standard gauge network. RhB's lines pass through the Landquart, Vorderrhein and upper Alpine Rhine valleys and several side valleys, as well as the Engadine, the upper valley of the river Inn. The network has a total length of.
The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn,, was founded in 2003 through the merger of the Furka Oberalp Bahn with the Brig–Zermatt Bahn. The former Furka Oberalp Bahn was a metre-gauge railway in the high southern Alps. Its name refers to two passes, the Furka Pass and the Oberalp Pass. The Furka Pass lies at the upper end of the Rhône valley. The Oberalp Pass is the highest point on this line at above sea level, and lies at the upper end of the Rhine valley. The line runs from to. At, the line connects with the former Schöllenenbahn to on the standard gauge Gotthard Railway of Swiss Federal Railways. Brig in the canton of Valais is a rail junction with standard gauge lines of Swiss Federal Railways and BLS. It sits at the north end of the Simplon Tunnel on the Milan–Lausanne line and Milan–Bern line. The total length of the FO railway was. The former Brig–Zermatt Bahn was a short line between Brig and. It passes through the valleys of the Vispa and Matter Vispa, tributaries of the Rhône. The total length of the BVZ line was.
The Glacier Express, a Panorama Express, runs on the combined route, using lines of RhB and MGB. A one-day trip in panoramic-view cars takes tourists from St. Moritz to Zermatt, or vice versa, through some of the most spectacular scenery of the Alps. It is the longest long-distance train service in Switzerland. The journey from Zermatt to St. Moritz takes about 8 hours.

Further narrow-gauge railways

;Eastern Switzerland
The Appenzeller Bahnen,, with its total of of mainly metre-gauge tracks just recently combined the earlier separate Trogenerbahn from to, the standard-gauge railway from Rorschach to Heiden, the funicular from Rheineck to Walzenhausen, as well as the previous Appenzeller Bahnen. The AB connects towns within the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden with the city of St. Gallen and other towns in the canton of St. Gallen. Since 2021, the narrow-gauge Frauenfeld–Wil railway, linking Frauenfeld in the canton of Thurgau with Wil in the canton of St. Gallen, also belongs to Appenzell Railways. All AB lines are used by services of St. Gallen S-Bahn.
;Bernese Oberland and adjacent areas
File:20040529K243-27.jpg|thumb|A Golden Pass train near Gstaad
The Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway runs long Montreux–Lenk im [Simmental line] from Montreux on Lake Geneva to Zweisimmen, with a connecting line to Lenk in the Simmental. The section from Montreux to Zweisimmen, approximately long, is part of the "Golden Pass Panorama" trip from Montreux to Interlaken, a trip which combines rides on the MOB, for some connections the BLS, and from Interlaken onwards the Zentralbahn.
From Interlaken, the narrow-gauge Brünigbahn section of the Zentralbahn (zb) runs further to Lucerne. It skirts Lake Brienz and passes through the range of mountains to the north of the lake via Brünig Pass, and then drops into Obwalden to Lucerne. The zb also runs the line between Lucerne and Engelberg.
File:Overlooking Lauterbrunnen.jpg|thumb|left|Narrow-gauge lines are renowned for their scenic views
The Berner Oberland Bahn is a long line from Interlaken to and. It begins at and divides at, about south of Interlaken. The western branch leads to Lauterbrunnen, while the eastern branch leads to Grindelwald. It is possible to make a loop by taking the Lauterbrunnen branch and returning via the Grindelwald branch. The two branches are connected by the Wengernalp Bahn.
The Wengernalpbahn is a long line between the villages of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, leading over the Eiger ridge at the junction station at Kleine Scheidegg. In the winter, this junction is a ski resort served by many lifts and trails, as well as the rail line. Skiers can ride the train from the valleys below to return to the top of the runs.
The Jungfraubahn, which is also rack-and-pinion throughout, starts at Kleine Scheidegg and runs through tunnels in the Eiger and Mönch, leading to the "Jungfraujoch", a saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau summits. At the saddle are a visitor centre and an observatory. The Aletsch Glacier, largest in Europe, runs to the south toward the Rhône valley.
The Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren is long, divided into two independent parts, the first part being a cable car, the second an adhesion railway.
At the Brienz Rothorn Bahn, a steam-hauled rack railway, ascends to near the summit of the Brienzer Rothorn.
;Western Switzerland and Valais
The Chemins de fer du Jura, the railways of the canton of Jura in northern Switzerland, is an long rail network of which is metre gauge, the remaining being standard gauge. It connects to and, both via. Other narrow-gauge railway lines in the Swiss Jura include the La Chaux-de-Fonds–Les Ponts-de-Martel railway and Le Locle–Les Brenets line, both operated by TransN.
In the canton of Vaud, metre-gauge railways include the Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez, the Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges, the Chemin de fer Yverdon–Ste-Croix, the Chemin de fer Bex–Villars–Bretaye and the Chemin de fer Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher, as well as part of the longer Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line. Another railway line links with Champéry in the canton of Valais.
The Chemin de fer Martigny–Châtelard is long, with one rack railway section, in the canton of Valais. It runs from to and connects with the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway in France, the joint services being marketed as Mont-Blanc Express.
The Gornergrat Bahn climbs for from an elevation of near station of the Zermatt RR to a high top station on the shoulder of the Monte Rosa Mountain. The entire route is a rack-and-pinion railway.
;Ticino
The Ferrovia Lugano–Ponte Tresa, in canton Ticino, runs from Lugano to Ponte Tresa. The Monte Generoso railway operates between and Monte Generoso.
;Other
The Aargau Verkehr company operates two unconnected narrow gauge lines. The Menziken–Aarau–Schöftland line operates in the centre of the canton of Aargau as S14 service of the Aargau S-Bahn. The Bremgarten–Dietikon line operates across the border between the canton of Zurich and eastern Aargau as S17 service of the Zurich S-Bahn. The two lines have a total length of.
The Forch railway is a meter gauge railway in the canton of Zurich that operates from to as S18 service of the Zurich S-Bahn. It uses the Zurich tram tracks between Stadelhofen and, while operating on its own tracks outside of the city of Zurich. It is owned and operated by the Forchbahn AG.
Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn operates three services for Bern S-Bahn on meter gauge lines: the S7 on the Worb Dorf–Worblaufen line, the S8 on the Solothurn–Worblaufen line and the S9 on the Zollikofen–Bern line.
Aare Seeland mobil operates two S-Bahn services on three meter gauge railway lines in the cantons of Bern and Solothurn: the Langenthal–Oensingen, the Langenthal–Melchnau and the Solothurn–Niederbipp lines.
The Waldenburg railway links with Waldenburg in the canton of Basel-Landschaft. Since 2016, it is operated by line 19 of Baselland Transport.

Narrow-gauge links to adjacent countries

France – :
* Martigny–Châtelard Railway / Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway, partially a rack railway
Italy – :
* Bernina Railway, break-of-gauge and voltage change at Tirano
* Domodossola–Locarno railway line through the Swiss Centovalli and Italian Valle Vigezzo
Austria – gauge:
* The International Rhine Regulation Railway, a former industrial railway along and across the Alpine Rhine

Urban rail

in Switzerland includes trams and light rail in several cities, commuter rail systems centered around cities, a single, small metro system and funiculars. Plans for a rapid transit in Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, were discontinued after a referendum.

Trams

There are trams operating on nine systems in seven Swiss cities. Street-running tramways are nearly
all. The Chemin de fer Bex–Villars–Bretaye
in Bex is more of a mixed interurban light rail line connected to a rack railway but it does have some street running portions, particularly in Bex where the BVB operates along the right of way of a tramway system originally built in the 1890s. Also the Trogenerbahn operated by Appenzell Railways operates on streets in the city of St. Gallen as well as the Frauenfeld–Wil-Bahn in the city of Frauenfeld the Forchbahn in the city of Zurich and the Chur–Arosa-Bahn in the city of Chur.

City	System	Start of electric operations	Gauge	notes
Basel	Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe	6 May 1892		8 lines
Basel	Baselland Transport	6 October 1902		4 lines,, 100 trams, serves suburbs
Bern	Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Bern	1 July 1902
Bex	Bex–Villars–Bretaye railway	1898		Connects to rack railway in Villars-sur-Ollon
Geneva	Trams in Geneva	22 September 1894
Lausanne	Tramway du sud-ouest lausannois	2 June 1991		Switzerland's only metro system
Neuchâtel	Trams in Neuchâtel	16 May 1897
Zurich	Trams in Zurich	8 March 1894		Operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich
Zurich	Stadtbahn Glattal	10 December 2006		Operated by VBZ and Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal
Zurich	Limmattalbahn	11 December 2022		Its western terminus is in the canton of Aargau

S-Bahn

In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, suburban and regional commuter rail service is today known as S-Bahn. Clock-face scheduling in commuter rail has been first put in place on the line – near Bern in 1964. In 1968, the Goldcoast Express on the right side of Lake Zurich followed. In 1982, clock-face scheduling was introduced all over Switzerland. The term S-Bahn has been used since 1990 for the Zurich S-Bahn, since 1995 for Bern S-Bahn and since 1997 for the Basel S-Bahn. Other S-Bahn services include the Lucerne S-Bahn, St. Gallen S-Bahn, Aargau S-Bahn, Chur S-Bahn and Schaffhausen S-Bahn. Additionally, other terms for commuter rail are in use, like Stadtbahn Zug. S-Bahn services are typically numbered and use the S-prefix.
Commuter rail networks in the French-speaking part are generally known as RER, such as around Fribourg, Lausanne and Porrentruy, whereas in the region of Geneva the term is Léman Express. In the canton of Valais, RegionAlps offers S-Bahn services, while in the canton of Ticino such services are provided by TILO.
The commuter rail networks of Zurich, Basel, St. Gallen, Geneva, Schaffhausen and Ticino provide also cross-border transportation services into Austria, Germany, France and Italy, respectively. The Austrian Vorarlberg S-Bahn operates services with Swiss border stations as their terminus, with one service operating through Liechtenstein. The Italian Milan S Lines includes a service operating until the Swiss border station of. The Bodensee S-Bahn groups several S-Bahn services around Lake Constance in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

Tourist railways

Rolling stock

Naming

Since the naming of the Class Ae 6/6 locomotives, it has become common customs for Swiss railway companies to name their locomotives and multiple units. Rolling stock named after cantons or municipalities often also bear the respective coat of arms. The following is a list of locomotives and MUs of the three main operators that are named.

Operator	Vehicle	Named after
BLS	Re 465	Most are named after mountains in Switzerland.
BLS	RABe 515	Twelve electric MUs are named after cities, each featuring its respective coat of arms.
BLS	RABe 525	Mostly named after municipalities and rivers in the canton of Bern.
BLS	RABe 528	Twelve MUs are named, mostly after Swiss municipalities, with one named after an Italian commune.
BLS	RABe 535	Eleven electric MUs are named after municipalities, each featuring its respective coat of arms.
SBB CFF FFS	Ae 6/6	Twenty-six locomotives are named after Swiss cantons, while the rest are named after municipalities. Coat of arms are displayed on the sides, with the Swiss coat of arms on the fronts.
SBB CFF FFS	Re 420	Only three locomotives are named: two after municipalities and one after Depot G. Most bear the Swiss coat of arms on the front, except for former Swiss Express locomotives, which display the SBB logo.
SBB CFF FFS	Re 450	All are named, mostly after municipalities in the Zurich Metropolitan Area, with one named after Vienna and another after Osaka. Coat of arms are shown on both sides of each engine.
SBB CFF FFS	Re 460	Most are named after regions, rivers, mountains, events, or companies in Switzerland, with some also named after places abroad.
SBB CFF FFS	Re 620	All are named after Swiss municipalities and bear the Swiss coat of arms on the front.
SBB CFF FFS	RABe 501	Twenty-six are named after Swiss cantons, while the rest are named after places in Switzerland, with two named after Italian provinces.
SBB CFF FFS	RAB(D)e 502	Some are named, mostly after Swiss cities.
SBB CFF FFS	RABe 511 trains\|RABe 511]	Fourteen electric MUs are named, mostly after Swiss cantons and municipalities, with one named after Berlin, all featuring their respective coat of arms.
SBB CFF FFS	RABe 514	Some are named, mainly after Swiss municipalities.
SBB CFF FFS	RABDe 500	Most are named after Swiss scholars, artists, writers, politicians, engineers, and architects.
SOB	RABe 526	All of SOB's Stadler Flirt trains are named after mountains along routes operated by the company.

Integration of services

Between rail services

Services on the Swiss railway network are integrated with each other and with other modes of public transport, such as local railways, buses, boats/ferries and cable transports, often either in direct proximity or short walking distance, to minimise transfer times. Unlike its European neighbours, Switzerland has not developed a comprehensive high-speed rail network, with the running speed on high-speed lines, the Rothrist–Mattstetten line and Gotthard Base Tunnel, being and, respectively. Instead the priority is not so much the speeding up of trains between cities, but the reduction of connection times through the nodal system. Journey times on main lines between hubs are multiples of 15 minutes so that on the hour or half-hour all trains stand in the nodal stations at the same time, thus minimising connection times. Indeed, the above-mentioned Rothrist–Mattstetten line reduces journey times from to from 72 minutes to 57 minutes, in keeping with the clock-face scheduling.

Between modes of public transport

Rail timetables are integrated with the extensive network of postal buses, which serve both plain and high mountain villages, as well as with many other Swiss bus companies. For example, on postal bus line 12.381 the 10:35 from the mountain village of Les Haudères is planned to arrive in the regional city of Sion at 11:20 where a train departs the station at 11:24 for Visp. Indeed, it is a familiar sight to for the postal cars to be already lined up outside the station for the arriving train. From this perspective, the Swiss rail network functions as the core of a wider public transport network.

Other modes of transport concerned by the integrated timetable are:

Boats/ferries: for example at , , , , , ,,
Cable cars: for instance at,,,,
Funiculars and other mountain railways
Metro: at,,
Heritage railways: at,,

Links to airports

The two main airports, Zurich Airport and Geneva Airport, both have their own subterranean railway stations, and . Zurich Airport also has tram links to the city. Other airports have bus links to/from nearby railway stations: EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg with, Bern Airport with, St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport with and Sion Airport with. Lugano Airport is close to.

Integration with private transport

About 600 railway stations feature park and ride, known as P+Rail in Switzerland, which allows commuting partly by private and partly by public transport. Mobility is a cooperative for car sharing. Mobility cars are available at many railway stations.
There are also car and truck transportation services on some lines, mainly in mountainous areas.
Some trains feature an area, or even an entire railroad car, for transportation of bicycles. Most railway stations have a bicycle parking and/or bicycle parking station. Some railway stations also offer bicycle washing and repair services.

Costs and subsidies

Although public investment is positively correlated with a given railway system's performance, the European Railway Performance Index finds differences in the value that countries receive in return for their public cost. The 2017 Index found Switzerland captures high value for money relative to the average ratio of performance to cost among European countries.

Passenger transport

In 2012, the total costs for passenger transport on Swiss railway network was CHF 8.88 billion, of which CHF 4.46 billion were due to infrastructure costs, CHF 3.98 billion were costs of transportation means, CHF 427 million due to environmental and health costs, and CHF 25 million due to accidents.
CHF 4.28 billion, or 48.2%, were paid by passengers, and CHF 4.15 billion came from rail subsidies provided by federal, cantonal, and municipal contributions. CHF 426 million were contributed by the common weal.

Freight transport

In 2012, the total costs for freight transport on Swiss railway network was CHF 2.063 billion, of which CHF 779 million were due to infrastructure costs, CHF 900 million were costs of transportation means, CHF 59 million due to environmental and health costs, and CHF 325 million due to accidents.
CHF 1.058 billion, or 51.3%, were paid by customers, and CHF 122 million by transporting companies, while CHF 555 million were subsidised by federal, cantonal, and municipal contributions. CHF 328 millions were contributed by the common weal.

History

The construction and operation of Swiss railways during the 19th century was carried out by private railways. The first internal line was a line opened from Zürich to Baden in 1847, operated by the Swiss Northern Railway. By 1860 railways connected western and northeastern Switzerland but the Alps remained an insurmountable barrier for railways, which need low gradients. The first trans-alpine railway and north–south axis in Switzerland finally opened in 1882. It was the Gotthard Railway, with at its heart the Gotthard Tunnel, passing well below the Gotthard Pass. A second line was opened even lower under the Simplon Pass in 1906, and a third under the Lötschberg in 1913.
In 1901 the major railways were nationalised to form Swiss Federal Railways. During the first half of the 20th century they were electrified and slowly upgraded. After the Second World War rail rapidly lost its share of the rail market to road transport as car ownership rose and more roads were built. From 1970 the Federal Government has become more involved in upgrading the railways, especially in urban areas and on trunk routes under the Rail 2000 project. In addition, two major trans-alpine routes—the Gotthard Railway and the Lötschberg approach to the Simplon—were rebuilt under the NRLA project. As a consequence, two new flat routes through the Alps opened in the early 21st century: The Lötschberg Base Tunnel in 2007 and the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016.
Between 1869 and 1976, goods wagons were carried from station across Lake Constance using train ferries.