Residents of Switzerland could benefit from new cheap train journeys to and from Germany, under plans revealed by budget rail provider FlixTrain. The company confirmed that routes between Swiss cities, Munich and Berlin are now in the pipeline.

Super cheap rail journeys set to arrive in Switzerland, FlixTrain confirms

Speaking to Blick, a spokesperson for FlixTrain said that they are extremely keen to start new budget rail routes in Switzerland. Specifically, they confirmed that they are in discussions with both the European Union and the Federal Office of Transport about launching rail routes between the alpine nation and Germany.

The company is most keen to operate on the line between Zurich and Munich via Winterthur and St. Gallen. They are also hoping to extend its existing Berlin to Basel Bad Bhf line to Zurich. "We do not want to interfere with the dense Swiss network, but rather offer an attractive alternative for customers on international routes," the spokesperson noted, adding that only long-distance routes would be offered by the company.

Though its trains are typically slower than their Deutsche Bahn counterparts, with journeys between Basel and Berlin costing as little as 10 euros, the FlixTrain service is expected to be significantly cheaper than regular transport tickets. For their part, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) said that they were in contact with FlixTrain, but did not comment as to whether the services would be a collaboration.

Swiss-EU deal gives FlixTrain the green light

The news comes after the Swiss government concluded its new deal with the European Union. Under the plans presented in December, Switzerland has to grant EU rail firms access to more of the public transport network. Among other things, this would allow providers to run rail services deep into the alpine nation, without collaboration with SBB.

For instance, today SBB works in collaboration with Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB and Trenitalia to run international rail routes, and jointly runs TGV Lyria with SNCF on routes to and from France. In fact, the only reason FlixTrain can run to Basel today is that it stops at Basel Badische Bahnhof, which is operated by Deutsche Bahn, not SBB. 

What hurdles does FlixTrain have to overcome?

However, before the first lime green trains can take to the tracks of Zurich HB, several factors need to be addressed. Speaking back in December, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin (SVP) said that while FlixTrain could run in Switzerland, it could only do so if it remains punctual and doesn’t get in the way of SBB services.

Next is departure times: while the government wants FlixTrain to operate late at night and early in the morning, the company spokesperson said they wanted to operate at peak times. "For example, in Zurich, all trains depart on the hour, after which the station becomes quiet, and that is exactly when we would try to schedule a departure," they noted.

Another sticking point concerns tickets. Parmelin added that “foreign railway companies must adhere to the Swiss tariff system,” meaning they must accept GA and half-fare travel cards. FlixTrain disagrees, arguing that it is an international rail service and should be exempt.

On the matter of workers, Swiss Trade Union Federation President Pierre-Yves Maillard (SP) said he worried FlixTrain employees would not be paid an adequate salary. The SEV rail workers union added that the arrival of FlixTrain could spark a race to the bottom with SBB when it came to staff wages.

FlixTrain's Swiss expansion depends on an approved EU deal

Finally, much of FlixTrain’s arrival in Switzerland hinges on the latest agreement between the government and the European Union. The Swiss government is expected to put the deal to the people through four referendums, with political parties telling Blick that they will likely not be held before 2027. 

Whether FlixTrain can reach a deal and put trains on the tracks before the deal is passed, remains to be seen.

Thumb image credit: Minh K Tran / Shutterstock.com