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Basel to Berlin for 10 francs: Flixtrain expands to Switzerland

German transport provider Flixtrain has announced it will launch in Switzerland from June 23rd. The low-cost provider is offering 10 franc (10 euro) tickets from Basel to Berlin, among other cheap fares.

Basel to Berlin for 10 francs: Flixtrain expands to Switzerland

The low-cost company, which has been establishing itself Deutsche Bahn’s major competitor Germany over the past few years, runs long distance bus and train services. 

The lines to and from Basel run from Thursday to Monday. The new line is part of an expansion of services which is set to include around 70 destinations in Germany. 

As yet, Basel will be the only Swiss destination. The other two new routes are Stuttgart to Hamburg and Berlin to Weisbaden. 

REVEALED: How to find cheap train tickets in Switzerland

In addition to the 10 franc (10 euro) ticket from Basel to Berlin, other journeys within Germany will start at 5 francs (5 euros). 

As the fares are likely to be promotional, it is unclear how much they will cost once the service is up and running. 

Currently, tickets between Basel and Berlin can cost as high as CHF150 or 160 euros from Switzerland’s SBB or Germany’s Deutsche Bahn respectively. 

Flixtrain boss André Schwämmlein hit out at the German government’s 9 euro ticket for local public transport as “immature”, telling the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper it would lead to a risk of “completely overcrowded trains all over Germany”. 

READ MORE: What tourists visiting Germany need to know about the €9 ticket

Image: Flixmobility

Who is Flix and what do they do?

Flixtrain is a part of Flixmobility, which is headquartered in Munich, Germany. 

The company was founded in 2011 and has since rolled out bus routes across Germany and much of Europe. 

Flixtrain was launched in 2017. Compared with Deutsche Bahn, however, its offering is still small: With nine token bright green trains, the private company competes against more than 300 high-speed (ICE) trains.

As Flixtrain is a private service, it will not be a part of the 9 euro fare network. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Could new night trains from Zurich to Rome and Barcelona be derailed?

The planned new night trains from Zurich to Rome and Barcelona could be scuppered due to a lack of funding, media reports on Friday claimed.

Could new night trains from Zurich to Rome and Barcelona be derailed?

As the Swiss media reported on Thursday, there is good news and bad news concerning international night trains. 

The good news is that the national railway company, SBB, is committed to night trains connecting Zurich to Rome and Barcelona.

The first trains could be running as early as next year, SBB boss Vincent Ducrot told SRF media recently adding that it could also be 2026 before they start.

The bad news is that government funding is needed to get the project on the right track.

This money, however, could be difficult to obtain, because the Federal Council is looking into ways to cut spending, as Switzerland is facing a deficit of several billion francs.

Under Swiss law, no more than 30 million francs can be spent each year to promote international trains.

However, the law considers financing night connections as an optional provision, so the government is not obliged to spend any money on them.

And the problem for SBB and passengers keen on the night trains is that they are not very profitable and experts believe they won’t contribute much to Switzerland achieving its climate goals.

SBB boss Ducrot believes that if the promised subsidies are withdrawn the new night trains will simply not be feasible.

Existing night trains to and from Switzerland are popular. There are daily connections from Zurich to Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Graz, Amsterdam, Budapest, Zagreb and Prague.

But there are reasons they don’t make much profit.

Beds, sleeping compartments and toilets take up more space than seats on day trains so the maximum number of tickets that can be sold per train is therefore reduced. 

Normal daytime trains are in use for up to 18 hours a day but night trains are only used at night so spend much of the day unused.  

If subsidies do prove hard to come by there is hope cantons or cities that are interested in having night train connections could step in and help fund the services.

READ ALSO: The night trains to take from Switzerland around Europe

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