In a move to address frequent delays, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has announced significant adjustments to two Eurocity (EC) train routes originating from Germany, designating Basel SBB as their new terminus. Effective from April 29, 2025, the EC7 from Hamburg-Altona to Interlaken Ost and the EC9 from Dortmund to Zürich will no longer proceed beyond Basel. This decision underscores the challenges posed by persistent tardiness, with passengers now required to switch to alternative Swiss-operated services for their onward journeys.
The SBB's strategy is not entirely unprecedented, as trains experiencing delays exceeding 20 minutes have historically been halted in Basel. However, the current measure marks a more permanent solution, with the changes set to remain in effect at least until the next timetable revision in mid-December. This approach reflects the SBB's commitment to maintaining schedule reliability across its network, even if it means curtailing certain international services.
Interestingly, the impact of these adjustments is one-sided. Return journeys from Zürich and Interlaken to Germany via Basel continue to operate without interruption, with the EC6 and EC8 services departing as usual. These routes, serviced by Swiss trains, have maintained punctuality, highlighting a disparity in performance between the affected German-operated lines and their Swiss counterparts.
With over 40 daily direct trains connecting Germany and Switzerland, the majority of which bypass Basel without scheduled stops, the SBB emphasizes that the overall connectivity between the two countries remains robust. Alternative routes via Schaffhausen or Bregenz am Bodensee offer additional options for travelers, ensuring that the adjustments to the EC7 and EC9 services represent a targeted response to specific issues rather than a broad reduction in cross-border rail services.
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