Swiss Federal Railways facts for kids
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Head office in Bern
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Native name
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| state-owned AG/SA regulated by public law | |
| Industry | Rail Transport |
| Founded | 1 January 1902 |
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Switzerland
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Key people
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Vincent Ducrot, CEO |
| Revenue |  CHF 10.727 billion (2022) |
| -CHF 245 million (2022) |
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| Total assets | CHF 53.562 billion (2022) |
| Total equity |  CHF 12.196 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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34,227 (2022, FTE) |
| Divisions | Passenger, SBB Cargo, Infrastructure, Real Estate |
SBB network (for the whole Swiss railway network see: Rail transport in Switzerland)
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InterCity on the old Gotthard Line
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| Overview | |
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| Dates of operation | 1 January 1902–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 99% 15, 1% 25 kV, 16.7, 50 Hz Overhead line |
| Length | 3,230 km (2,007.0 mi) |
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB, CFF, FFS) is the main railway company in Switzerland. It's often called SBB, which comes from its German name Schweizerische Bundesbahnen. It also has names in French (CFF) and Italian (FFS).
This company started in 1902 and its main office is in Bern. It used to be fully owned by the government. But since 1999, it has been a special company. The Swiss government and different regions (called cantons) own its shares. SBB is the biggest train and transport company in Switzerland. It runs most of the trains on the standard railway lines. It also works closely with other transport companies to make sure train schedules connect well.
In 2017, SBB was ranked as one of the best railway systems in Europe. This was because of how much it's used, how good its service is, and how safe it is. While some European train companies focused on building fast trains, SBB worked on making its regular trains reliable and high-quality. Besides passenger trains, SBB also moves goods and cargo through its company SBB Cargo. It also owns a lot of land and buildings in Switzerland.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The company is usually known by the first letters of its names in three languages. These are German (SBB), French (CFF), and Italian (FFS). So, you often see it as SBB CFF FFS. The official English short name is SBB.
There's also a name in the Romansh language, Viafiers federalas svizras (VFF). You might see this name in some official papers. However, the company itself doesn't use it.
How SBB is Organized
Swiss Federal Railways is split into different parts to manage its work. It has three main divisions that handle daily operations:
- Passenger traffic: This division takes care of all the trains that carry people.
- Infrastructure: This part manages the railway tracks, signals, and stations.
- Real estate: This division looks after the buildings and land owned by SBB.
The part that used to handle cargo (goods) trains, SBB Cargo, became its own company in 2019.
SBB also has eight groups that help run the company and support the main divisions. These groups handle things like money, staff, and technology. The company works with the Swiss government. They agree on what SBB needs to do every four years. This agreement also sets how much SBB gets paid for running trains and maintaining tracks.
SBB also has other smaller companies. For example, SBB GmbH runs passenger trains in Germany. Other companies like THURBO and RegionAlps are also part of SBB. There's also SBB Historic, a foundation started in 2002. It looks after old trains and keeps historical records.
SBB by the Numbers
Here are some interesting facts about SBB from 2021:
- Railway Network Length: SBB has 3,156 kilometers of standard tracks.
- Electrified Routes: All of SBB's railway lines are powered by electricity (100%).
- Employees: About 33,943 people work for SBB.
- Passengers Daily: Around 0.88 million people travel with SBB every day.
- Stations: There are 795 stations open for passengers.
- Punctuality: About 91.9% of passengers arrive at their destination on time. This means they arrive with less than three minutes of delay.
- Freight: SBB moves 48 million tons of goods each year.
- Tunnels: There are 311 railway tunnels. Their total length is 431 kilometers.
- Longest Tunnel: The Gotthard Base Tunnel is 57.1 kilometers long. It's a world record!
- Bridges: SBB has 4,925 railway bridges. Their total length is 108.7 kilometers.
- Trains: SBB has many different types of trains, including:
* 656 electric multiple units (trains made of fixed cars). * 543 main locomotives (engines that pull trains). * 1,982 passenger coaches (train cars for people). * 4,671 freight wagons (cars for goods).
- Electricity: SBB uses a lot of electricity for its trains. About 90.2% of this power comes from renewable sources.
A Look at SBB's History
In the 1800s, private companies owned all the railways in Switzerland. These companies often built tracks next to each other, which caused problems. Some even went out of business because of the competition. So, in 1898, the Swiss people voted to create a railway company owned by the government.
The first train run by the Swiss government was on New Year's Eve in 1900. It traveled from Zürich to Geneva. SBB officially started on January 1, 1902. Over time, more private railway companies joined SBB. The railway network kept growing and is still expanding today.
In 1999, SBB changed from being a government department to a special company. The Swiss government still owns all its shares.
A big change happened in 1956. First-class train cars were removed. What used to be second and third class became first and second class.
In 1982, SBB started using the Taktfahrplan, or clock-face schedule. This meant trains to certain places would leave every 60 minutes. This made the timetable much simpler for everyone.
On December 12, 2004, SBB launched "Bahn2000." This was a big plan to make train services better. A key part was reducing travel times between cities like Zürich, Bern, and Basel to under an hour. This helped trains connect better. Many stations were also rebuilt to make this possible.
In 2005, there was a major power outage across the entire Swiss railway network. This happened during rush hour, and many people and trains were stuck. It was found that the power system was overloaded.
SBB also won an award called the Wakker Prize in 2005. This award is usually given to towns for preserving important buildings. SBB won it for taking care of many historic railway buildings.
Since December 2005, all trains and most station buildings have been non-smoking.
The Famous SBB Clock
The Swiss railway clock is a national symbol. It was designed by Hans Hilfiker. What's special about it? The second hand pauses for a little over a second at the top of each minute. It waits for a signal from a main clock. This makes sure all station clocks show the exact same time.
This special clock design helps the railway run smoothly. Train timetables in Switzerland don't list seconds; trains always leave on the full minute. Also, all clocks at a station need to be perfectly in sync. This helps both passengers and railway staff.
The clocks get an electrical signal from a central "master clock" every minute. This signal moves the minute hand forward. The second hand moves on its own, but it takes about 58.5 seconds to go around. Then it stops briefly at the top. It starts again only when it gets the next signal from the master clock.
Train Types (Rolling Stock)
SBB uses many different types of trains. In the early days, they used steam engines. Then, they started using electric trains.
Electric Locomotives
The first electric tests were done in 1903. Electric trains became more common after 1919. This was because there wasn't enough coal during the First World War. Famous early electric locomotives include the "Crocodile" trains. Later, newer, more modern locomotives like the "Lok 2000" were introduced.
Today, SBB's passenger division mostly uses modern electric trains. The cargo division buys locomotives for moving goods.
Multiple Unit Trains
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Multiple unit trains are made of fixed cars that can't be easily separated. They became more common after 1950. These trains are often used for commuter services. For example, the "ICN" (InterCity Tilting Train) and "FLIRT" trains are popular.
Some old and famous multiple unit trains are the "Red Arrows" and the "Churchill-Pfeil." SBB has also ordered many new double-deck trains to carry more passengers.
Languages Used
Switzerland has three official languages: German, French, and Italian. SBB uses all three. You'll see "SBB CFF FFS" on their trains. The Rhaetian Railway mostly serves the Romansh-speaking areas.
Station names are always in the local language. If a city is bilingual, like Biel/Bienne, the station will show both names.
Train announcements are usually in the local language. But in busy stations like airports, they might also be in English. On trains, welcome messages are in all official languages of the regions the train travels through. For international trains, English is also used. When the train stops, the announcement is in the local language of that town. If a train goes through a bilingual city, the language of the announcement changes as the train passes through.
For example, in German-speaking Zürich, the main station is called Zürich HB (short for Hauptbahnhof). But on websites or in announcements, you might hear its French, Italian, or English names.
Since 2002, SBB has used music in its train announcements. The notes in the music are based on the letters SBB CFF FFS. This creates a special melody played on a vibraphone.
SBB Train Services
SBB offers different types of train services:
- R: Regio (Regional train): These trains stop at all stations.
- S: S-Bahn (Commuter train): These are like a rapid transit system in big cities. They have many lines and run very often.
- RE: RegioExpress: These are local trains that connect places within a region.
- IR: InterRegio: These trains travel across two or three regions. They are very common for longer journeys within Switzerland.
- IC: InterCity: These trains stop only at major cities like Geneva and Zürich.
- ICN: InterCity Tilting Train: These were similar to IC trains but used special tilting trains that could go faster around curves. This name was stopped in 2017, and these services are now called IC.
SBB also runs international trains like EuroCity and EuroNight within Switzerland. Other companies like Deutsche Bahn (Germany) and SNCF (France, through TGV Lyria) also run high-speed trains to and from Switzerland.
Train Lines
Since 2018, SBB has given numbers and colors to its InterCity (IC) and InterRegio (IR) lines. This helps people understand connections better, similar to a subway map.
Here are some examples of their main lines:
InterCity Lines
: Connects Genève-Aéroport to St. Gallen, stopping at major cities like Lausanne, Bern, and Zürich HB.
: Travels from Zürich HB to Lugano, going through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
: Links Basel SBB to Chur, passing through Zürich HB.
: Connects Genève-Aéroport or Lausanne to Zürich HB and even St. Gallen, going through cities like Biel/Bienne and Olten.
: Runs from Basel SBB to Brig, stopping at Bern and Thun.
: Connects Brig to Romanshorn, passing through Bern and Zürich HB.
InterRegio Lines
These lines connect regions and are often operated by SBB or other Swiss railway companies.
: Travels from Zürich HB to Chur, along the eastern part of Switzerland.
: Connects Genève-Aéroport to Luzern, going through Lausanne and Bern.
: Runs from Bern to Zürich HB.
: Connects Basel SBB to Locarno, passing through Luzern and Bellinzona.- : Travels from Bern to Zürich HB.
: Links Luzern to Konstanz (Germany), passing through Zürich HB.
: Connects Genève-Aéroport to Brig, running along Lake Geneva and through the Valais region.
Regio Express Lines
These trains offer faster regional connections than regular Regio trains.
- RE: Connects Luzern to Olten.
- RE: Travels from Locarno to Milano Centrale in Italy.
- RE: Runs from Zürich HB to Schaffhausen.
- RE: Connects Annemasse (France) to St-Maurice, serving the Geneva area.
Customer Services
SBB offers many services to help its customers. SBB Digital works on new online services. For example, SBB has started working with a company called Jacando to help with hiring. They also have co-working spaces in Zürich. SBB has won awards for its digital efforts.
See also
- List of stock used by Swiss Federal Railways
- PostBus Switzerland
- Rail transport in Switzerland
- Public transport in Switzerland
- Gotthardbahn
- Gotthard Base Tunnel
- Lötschberg Base Tunnel
- Rail 2000
- NRLA
