SBB Launches Digital Rail Control System Tender for 2027

BERN, Switzerland – Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will launch a public tender in 2027 for a new digital rail traffic control and management system, with deployment phased in from the early 2030s. Until the replacement is complete, Siemens Mobility will keep the existing Iltis system running under a support contract capped at CHF 280 million (EUR 300 million), published on 29 July 2026. The new system is intended to handle increasing train volumes and meet international standards.

What Are the Technical Specifications?

SBB’s current Iltis platform has been in operation for more than 30 years and is not capable of meeting the interface requirements of the railway’s planned digital signalling architecture. Iltis — an acronym for Integrales Leit- und Informationssystem — will be replaced by a new control system that connects directly to the digital signalling systems scheduled from 2029 and to SBB’s train timetable planning platform.

The operational target is to allow more passenger and freight trains to run, improve stability, and give dispatchers more flexible control of traffic. SBB has not publicly disclosed the system architecture, the candidate vendors, or the capital budget for the new platform.

Key Technical Data

Where Does This Technology Stand in the Market?

SBB is already running two parallel digital signalling procurement streams that the new traffic control platform will have to work alongside. Siemens Mobility and SBB are partnering to digitalise Swiss rail in what is described as the first deployment of Siemens’ Signaling X solution in the country (Source: RailwayPro, 2026). Hitachi Rail has separately signed a framework agreement with SBB to deliver digital signalling technology as part of a €1.5 billion programme (Source: Global Railway Review, 2026).

Comparing the two suppliers already present in Switzerland: Siemens’ Signaling X is marketed as a modular digital signalling solution that can be adapted to existing networks, while Hitachi Rail’s framework agreement gives SBB a second national-scale supply route for digital signalling (Source: Global Railway Review, 2026). The existing Iltis system, by contrast, remains a proprietary centralised control product with no native interface to the new signalling contracts. The new traffic control system will therefore need to sit above two separate signalling supply chains, a coordination requirement that did not exist when Iltis was originally implemented.

Editor’s Analysis

SBB’s transition strategy avoids a disruptive big-bang replacement: the signalling layer is being contracted now, the control system tender follows in 2027, and migration stretches into the 2040s. The practical consequence is that the new control platform must be vendor-neutral enough to work with both Siemens and Hitachi signalling products, pushing interoperability closer to the centre of Swiss railway procurement. This mirrors the wider European shift toward modular traffic management systems as ERTMS data feeds become the default source for train control.

FAQ

Q: Why can’t SBB replace Iltis immediately without Siemens?
A: Siemens holds the intellectual property rights to Iltis and is the only company with the expertise to operate and maintain it. SBB has extended the support contract until the new system is phased in from the early 2030s.

Q: When will the new digital train control system be fully operational?
A: SBB intends to begin rollout in the early 2030s and complete installation by the early 2040s. Digital signalling is scheduled to be introduced onto the Swiss network from 2029.

Q: Will the new system increase train frequency on the Swiss network?
A: SBB says the new system is expected to allow a greater number of trains to run and improve operational stability. The specific increase in capacity has not been quantified.