From July 17, 2023, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will start to run a brand new train on services across the alpine nation. The national public transport provider for Switzerland promised that the new Interregional Dosto (IR-Dosto) double-decker locomotives will be more modern, comfortable and accessible than previous versions.
In a statement, SBB announced that they will slowly start to introduce 60 brand-new IR-Dosto trains to interregional (IR) services between Swiss cities and cantons. The trains were purchased from Swiss international company and industry leader Stadler at a cost of 1,3 billion francs.
Once the Dosto is approved by the Swiss government, the new trains and carriages will start to run on the Zurich to Schaffhausen route from around July 17, 2023. Following the launch of the new timetable - which is due to be implemented in December 2023 - budding train spotters will also be able to see the trains on the Zurich to Chur (IR35) and Basel to Zurich Airport (IR36) routes, before being rolled out to the Romande and rest of Switzerland by 2026.
SBB said the IR-Dosto offers "more comfort to travellers” thanks to its modern design. The new cabins are fitted with “high-quality seats” with power sockets underneath, space for eight bicycles on each train (including two sockets for e-bike charging), five toilets per unit and a number of compartments for prams and those with limited mobility. All trains also offer “obstacle-free boarding for all travellers.”
The more eagle-eyed among us will notice that the new IR-Dosto is the latest version of the older RER trains that are used on lines between Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey and other places along Lake Geneva. However, once again, the focus has been on comfort, with the new interregional version offering far more space per passenger and more accessible areas for families and bicycles.
For more information, check out the official press release.
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