Switzerland's SBB plans new night train to Copenhagen and Malmö
Advertisement
In a press release on July 10th, Switzerland's federal government announced that the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) had decided to award 47 million Swiss francs to subsidise SBB's new night train to Malmö via Copenhagen.
"These funds are intended to cover the costs of operating this train service. We're talking about track and energy costs, but also the costs of rolling stock and personnel," SBB spokesperson Sabrina Schellenberg told Swiss broadcaster SRF.
SBB is planning to operate three night trains each week in each direction, meaning six trains in total, with the service starting in April 2026.
The company plans to redeploy the sleeping carriages currently used for its route between Zurich and Amsterdam, with new rolling stock then used on the Amsterdam route.
READ ALSO: New international train to run from Copenhagen through Germany to Prague
The Swiss government has outlined plans to provide 1.2 million francs in subsidies this year, increasing this to 8.9 million francs in 2026 when the service starts running, with a similar amount then earmarked each year between 2027-2030
It is not yet certain, however, that the Swiss Parliament will give the subsidies, which are part of the country's recent CO2 act, the final go ahead.
The parliament needs to give final approval to the subsidies each December when voting on the federal budget.
While parties on the left have criticised the government's decision to cut the amount allocated to long distance rail under the CO2 act from 30 million francs a year to just 10 million francs a year, parties on the right are criticising even this reduced level of spending.
READ ALSO: Norway begins planning Oslo-Copenhagen night train
Advertisement
"I believe this is essentially a waste of taxpayers' money, because it is being invested in a route that does not necessarily have a future, and the money would be better used for existing routes," Thomas Hurter, an MP for the populist Swiss People's Party, told SRF.
The Malmö route is SBB's only planned new route, with the company focused now primarily on improving the quality of existing night trains, with new rolling stock also ordered for night trains to Hamburg and Vienna.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Sweden
14-07-2025
- Local Sweden
Switzerland's SBB plans new night train to Copenhagen and Malmö
The Swiss government has allocated 47 million francs (€50m) for a new night train which will travel three times a week between Malmö and Basel, via Copenhagen, from April next year. But it's still not absolutely certain it will go ahead. Advertisement In a press release on July 10th, Switzerland's federal government announced that the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) had decided to award 47 million Swiss francs to subsidise SBB's new night train to Malmö via Copenhagen. "These funds are intended to cover the costs of operating this train service. We're talking about track and energy costs, but also the costs of rolling stock and personnel," SBB spokesperson Sabrina Schellenberg told Swiss broadcaster SRF. SBB is planning to operate three night trains each week in each direction, meaning six trains in total, with the service starting in April 2026. The company plans to redeploy the sleeping carriages currently used for its route between Zurich and Amsterdam, with new rolling stock then used on the Amsterdam route. READ ALSO: New international train to run from Copenhagen through Germany to Prague The Swiss government has outlined plans to provide 1.2 million francs in subsidies this year, increasing this to 8.9 million francs in 2026 when the service starts running, with a similar amount then earmarked each year between 2027-2030 It is not yet certain, however, that the Swiss Parliament will give the subsidies, which are part of the country's recent CO2 act, the final go ahead. The parliament needs to give final approval to the subsidies each December when voting on the federal budget. While parties on the left have criticised the government's decision to cut the amount allocated to long distance rail under the CO2 act from 30 million francs a year to just 10 million francs a year, parties on the right are criticising even this reduced level of spending. READ ALSO: Norway begins planning Oslo-Copenhagen night train Advertisement "I believe this is essentially a waste of taxpayers' money, because it is being invested in a route that does not necessarily have a future, and the money would be better used for existing routes," Thomas Hurter, an MP for the populist Swiss People's Party, told SRF. The Malmö route is SBB's only planned new route, with the company focused now primarily on improving the quality of existing night trains, with new rolling stock also ordered for night trains to Hamburg and Vienna.
Local Sweden
20-06-2025
- Local Sweden
Fit in or stick out? How Sweden changes you
This week: 25 year of the bridge between Sweden and Denmark, and how moving to Sweden changes you. For Membership+ subscribers: Swiss risk losing right to permanent residency, and study shows which nationalities contribute most to the economy. Advertisement In this week's episode we talk about the bridge between Denmark and Sweden and how it means a lot more to one of our panelists than the sore feet she got after running across it. We also discuss what foreigners do to fit in in Sweden and why some people push back against assimilation. For Membership+ subscribers we examine how Sweden appears to have accidentally proposed blocking Swiss people from permanent residency. Last, but certainly not least, we dig into an eye-opening report breaking down immigrants' contribution to Swedish society by nationality. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. Advertisement Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Sweden and Denmark Reader insights Immigration You can listen to the free episode here: Or follow Sweden in Focus wherever you listen to podcasts. Advertisement Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday. Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription. Advertisement
Local Sweden
18-06-2025
- Local Sweden
Why has Sweden proposed abolishing permanent residency for Swiss citizens?
The Swedish government's plan to tighten asylum rules to the strictest level allowable under EU law was supposed to be the crowning glory of its 'migration paradigm shift'. But the inquiry's first proposal could claim an unexpected victim: everyone from Switzerland. Advertisement What does the proposal say? The proposal, which is mainly focused on abolishing permanent residency for asylum seekers, also includes a section on phasing out permanent residency for long-term residents of the EU, a status known as varaktigt bosatt. Currently, non-EU citizens who have been living in Sweden with a residency permit for five years, with no breaks, can apply for status as varaktigt bosatt, or long-term residence, which grants them an EU residence permit with at least five years' validity, and which is automatically renewed when it expires. This is a residence permit which is granted under EU law rather than Swedish law. It allows holders to move more freely to work in another EU country. For primarily practical reasons, people in this group have previously been granted permanent residency under Swedish law at the same time as long-term residency under EU law. Under the new proposal however, people who are registered as varaktigt bosatta would no longer be granted permanent residency and would instead be granted temporary five-year residence permits. This effectively means that the only way for people in this group to gain the right to live in Sweden permanently is through obtaining Swedish citizenship. The other groups affected by the proposal are refugees, people in alternative need of protection, quota refugees, people who have been granted residence permits because of 'exceptionally distressing circumstances' (synnerligen ömmande omständigheter) or an 'impediment to enforcement' (verkställighetshinder). These groups would in some cases be able to apply for residence permits on other grounds, if they qualify. Advertisement Why does this affect Swiss citizens in particular? Switzerland is not an EU member state nor is it a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), but it does have a number of bilateral agreements with the EU, including agreements on freedom of movement, and it's a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), along with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which are also members of the EEA. This means that Swiss citizens, unlike the other three EFTA countries, do not qualify for right of residence under EU rules (uppehållsrätt), but they also can't get residence permits under non-EU rules (uppehållstillstånd), as they have a special status due to agreements with the EU. Swiss citizens are unable to receive, for example, a work permit or study permit for non-EU citizens instead of their special Swiss permit. Currently, Swiss citizens, along with their family members, apply for their own special residence permits with the Migration Agency once they move to Sweden. After five years, they can apply for status as varaktigt bosatta, which also grants permanent residency. Swiss citizens, due to their special status, are also ineligible for other types of Swedish residence permit which provides a path to permanent residency, such as the EU Blue Card or ICT (Intra-Corporate Transfer) permit issued to non-EU citizens moving to a different country but staying within the same company. This means, as the Migration Agency has confirmed to The Local, that the only way for Swiss citizens to get permanent residency in Sweden is by registering as varaktig bosatta. By proposing to remove the possibility for people in this group to get permanent residency, Sweden would essentially close the only path Swiss citizens have to gain the right to live in Sweden permanently without getting citizenship. Sweden's commitments to the EU Advertisement University union SULF raised the question of whether this breaks the agreements between the EU and Switzerland in an official response to the government's proposal to abolish permanent residency for varaktig bosatta. 'If this is the case, then the proposals put forward by the inquiry represent a serious deterioration in the situation for these citizens which can hardly have been the goal of the directive,' the union's response reads. 'SULF can see no signs that the inquiry has provided its reasoning for this, or whether it has investigated whether a change is compatible with the commitments towards Switzerland that Sweden has as a member of the EU.' Swiss citizens would therefore be the only so-called third country citizens who would be barred from permanent residency solely as a result of their nationality, SULF writes. Advertisement So why has Sweden put forward this proposal? It is not clear whether Sweden meant to include Swiss nationals in it's crackdown on asylum seekers or whether citizens of the Alpine nation have been accidentally caught up in the tightening of the laws. The Local has requested an explanation from the government. One of the key policies of the so-called "migration paradigm shift" in the Tidö Agreement between the government and the far-right Sweden Democrats is to tighten Swedish asylum laws to the lowest level permitted under EU law. In October 2023 it appointed judge Josephine Boswell to lead an inquiry into phasing out permanent residency for refugees and asylum seekers. The first part of the inquiry, described above, is currently making its way through the legislative process, with relevant organisations and public authorities given until June 18th to comment on its proposals. The next stage of the inquiry, which is due to be presented on October 2nd, 2025, will look more closely at the situations in which permanent residency permits which have already been granted could be changed or revoked.
