Swiss rail network digital upgrade expected to cost CHF7 billion

The rail upgrade is priced at around CHF 7 billion, with Swiss Federal Railways and the Federal Office of Transport confirming the estimate for digitising the network by 2045. The figure, first reported by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, covers the planned digitalisation of Switzerland’s rail infrastructure, including work to implement the European Rail Traffic Management System, or ERTMS.

The estimate puts the scale of the long-term project in focus as federal budget planning moves ahead. The 2027 Budget Message earmarks CHF 1 billion for rail digitalisation. SBB says that sum would allow a “first important step”, but would fall well short of covering all measures commissioned by the Federal Office of Transport.

The agencies confirmed the funding requirement on Thursday, October 29, in response to an enquiry from Keystone-SDA. The Federal Office of Transport said funding would be provided through various channels.

The CHF 1 billion earmarked for 2027 is only an opening allocation, according to SBB. The railway says the amount would support an initial step in digitalising rail infrastructure, while remaining far below the estimated CHF 7 billion needed to carry out all measures commissioned by the Federal Office of Transport.

The two figures describe different stages of the funding picture: the 2027 budget allocation and the estimated cost of the programme through 2045. SBB has called for the network’s digitalisation to move forward resolutely. The Federal Office of Transport confirmed the overall funding requirement for implementing ERTMS and said the money would come through various channels.

That makes the 2027 sum a component of a wider, long-term funding effort rather than a complete financing package for the planned upgrade. The confirmed estimate gives policymakers and the rail operator a cost horizon extending nearly two decades beyond the budget allocation.

SBB says maintenance and service provision take priority through 2035. The railway is calling for digitalisation to advance, while also placing the upkeep of the existing network and continued services first over that period.

The operator estimates that significant parts of the safety-critical infrastructure will need renewal. It puts the cost of this work at around CHF 7 billion by 2045. The estimate links the digital upgrade to the renewal needs of infrastructure that supports safe rail operations.

For SBB, the challenge is to progress with digitalisation while maintaining the network and its services. The railway has said the CHF 1 billion in the 2027 budget would not be enough to implement all the measures commissioned by the Federal Office of Transport. Its stated priorities place network upkeep and service provision alongside the longer-term push to modernise rail systems.

The digitalisation target runs to 2045, while SBB’s stated priority for maintaining the existing network and providing services extends to 2035. The two dates frame the long-term task: renew safety-critical infrastructure and move forward with digital systems over a timetable that stretches across several budget periods.

The Federal Office of Transport confirmed that the funding requirement concerns implementation of ERTMS, the European Rail Traffic Management System. It said funding would be provided through various channels. SBB, meanwhile, has urged a resolute push on digitalisation and estimates the required investment at around CHF 7 billion.

The 2027 allocation of CHF 1 billion would mark an initial step, according to the railway. The confirmed cost estimate sets the scale of the work ahead for federal transport planning and SBB as they pursue the upgrade alongside the maintenance of Switzerland’s existing rail network.