SBB has announced that Stadler is to build 29 new transalpine trains to operate on the Gotthard railway between Switzerland and Italy.
Stadler beat Alstom and Talgo to the CHF 1 billion contract to supply the new fleet of high-speed trains that will operate through the Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnel.
The order includes an option for 92 additional trainsets.
SBB launched the tendering process in 2012. The first trains will be delivered from the end of 2019, subject to receiving certification to operate in Switzerland, Germany and Italy.
SBB chief executive Andreas Meyer said Stadler met the tender criteria “with a clear lead”.
The trains will be built in Switzerland at  Bussnang.
At 400 metres, the new fleet will increase capacity by around 40 per cent compared to the current ETR  470 sets. The EC 250, which will have a maximum operating speed of 249 km/h, will replace the ICN and ETR 610 sets gradually as it is introduced from 2019. SBB has also ordered additional ETR 610 units, which are expected to arrive later this year, to allow the operator to decommission its ETR 470 stock.
