Siemens and SBB sign long-term framework agreement for the digitalization of Swiss interlockings

Siemens Mobility and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) are driving the digitalization of interlockings in Switzerland and have signed a strategic framework agreement that provides the basis for a more modern and efficient rail system. With the Signaling X solution, interlocking logic is intelligently shifted to central data centers, ensuring that rail operations are digitalized from the ground up. The goal is to increase operational capacity and create a sustainable and highly efficient mobility infrastructure. The framework agreement covers the construction of digital interlockings, including hardware and software, as well as comprehensive services such as development, training, and support. The agreement has an initial term of ten years and can be extended three times for periods of five years each. In addition, the partners have agreed to 25 years of maintenance to ensure smooth and reliable operations.

During the project, approximately 500 interlockings will be modernized and around 80 percent of the existing systems will be replaced over the next 20 years. Commissioning of the first interlockings is planned for 2029. In the course of the agreement, orders for the delivery of individual interlockings will be awarded on an ongoing basis.

Siemens Mobility has been firmly anchored in Switzerland for decades with its entire value chain and is a proven partner of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The company has demonstrated its expertise in a large number of commissioning projects in the field of control and signaling technology, including highly complex systems. Experienced local employees cover a project’s entire lifecycle, including development, project planning, production, assembly, commissioning, support, obsolescence management, and spare parts logistics. This comprehensive expertise is a key success factor behind the long-term partnership with SBB.

Siemens Mobility also has a large installed base at SBB and has developed a clear evolutionary migration path for these platforms toward the target architecture. This approach ensures that the existing infrastructure can be efficiently and sustainably transitioned to SBB’s future objectives. Siemens Mobility and its predecessor companies have proven over the past 100 years that they can successfully and reliably fulfill long-term commitments.

The SBB rail network covers 3,266 kilometers, making it the largest standard-gauge network in Switzerland used for both passenger and freight transport.