SBB ordered more Girunos

On 14 February 2024 SBB ordered five additional Giruno high-speed trains from Stadler for the planned expansion of its international services to Italy. Like the Class RABe 501 EMUs from the first two batches, the 250 km/h trains will also be built at the Bussnang works. 

The demand for rail travel between Switzerland and Italy has risen steadily in recent years. This success encourages the partners Trenitalia and SBB to work together to make the international offer even more attractive and expand it further, particularly on the Gotthard line. The five new SMILE/Giruno EMUs worth around 170 million CHF are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025 and form part of the SBB option for up to 92 units.

The existing 29 Girunos were ordered in 2014 and delivered by 2021. They now run between Basel/Zürich to Lugano/Milan and on to Genoa, Bologna and Venice. Seven additional Girunos have been ordered on 15 June 2022. The first of them are expected to be delivered in this year and are planned to run between Switzerland and Germany via Basel from 2026. After delivery of the five additional sets, SBB's fleet will comprise 41 Girunos.