SBB forced to cancel night train to Malmö, Sweden

SBB has announced that the planned night train from Basel to Hamburg, Copenhagen and Malmö, due to launch in April 2026, has been cancelled. This comes after the National Council voted to cut proposed funding to the project.

Swiss federal government cuts night train funding

Earlier this year, the Federal Office of Transport in Switzerland announced it would allocate 47 million Swiss francs to fund a new night train connecting Basel, Copenhagen, and Malmö in Sweden. The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) even began selling tickets ready for the night service to launch in April 2026.

In a slightly dramatic turn of events, the National Council has voted to remove 10 million Swiss francs of funding from the project. This has led to the cancellation of the train service, as SBB “cannot operate the night train without the subsidies”, reports 20 Minuten.

SBB announced in a press release that passengers who have already bought train tickets for the night service will be informed and refunded. The national train operator said “the political decision must be respected” and that it “understands if customers are disappointed”. 

Government decision criticised by transport associations

The National Council's vote to cut the train service subsidies passed by 99 votes to 92, with two abstentions. The Council of States had also previously voted to cut the funding.

20 Minuten reports that some politicians “were already annoyed” that SBB began advertising and selling tickets for the new public transport project before the federal government had made its decision on the funding. SVP politician Christian Imark described this as “deceiving the people”.

On the other hand, public transport associations Umverkehr and the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) both criticised the decision by the government, with the VCS describing it as “absolutely incomprehensible and irresponsible”, reports SRF.