Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 4 hrs ago
SBB test cuts power in Ticino; trains reconnect after three minutes
The SBB staged a railway power outage in Ticino overnight to test its response to a blackout.
The test stopped trains across the region, including a freight train travelling through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Power returned to the trains after three minutes, according to the test headline.
The exercise tested a newly developed system for bringing the railway power network back into operation quickly.
The test reflects the risk of another major failure like Switzerland’s 2005 rail power blackout, which stopped about 2,000 trains and stranded 200,000 passengers for three and a half hours.
That outage cost the SBB five million francs and was caused by an overloaded network following mistaken assessments.
The SBB says a blackout cannot be ruled out, so restoring power quickly is important to limit disruption.
SBB carried out a planned power-cut test in Ticino, bringing trains to a standstill.
Trains were reconnected to power after three minutes, according to the story headline.
The test examined how quickly the railway power network could be restored after an outage.
A freight train travelling from Zurich to Cadenazzo was moving through the Gotthard Base Tunnel when the power failed.
The test was intended to help prevent a repeat of the nationwide railway power outage in 2005.
- Who
- Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) conducted the test. Trains and railway control staff in Ticino were involved.
- What
- SBB staged a railway power cut to test how quickly power could be restored. Trains reconnected after three minutes.
- When
- In the night into Friday, November 13, 2026. The test began at about 2 a.m.
- Where
- Ticino, including the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the operations centre in Pollegio.
- Why
- To test the restoration of railway power and reduce the risk of a prolonged outage.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A nationwide SBB railway power failure stopped about 2,000 trains and affected 200,000 travellers.
SBB’s planned test cut railway power in Ticino while a freight train travelled through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Trains reconnected to power.
- Location
- Ticino, Switzerland
- Test start
- About 2 a.m. on November 13, 2026
- Power restoration
- Trains reconnected after three minutes
- Freight train
- Zurich to Cadenazzo, with eight wagons and a weight of 200 tonnes
- Previous nationwide outage
- June 22, 2005; about 2,000 trains stopped
- Cost of 2005 outage
- 5 million Swiss francs
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What people are saying
15,000 volts is the electricity we are using now.
Now we have a blackout in Ticino.