"Cisalpino (CIS) tilting trains" Top 5 Page for this destination Spiez Transportation Tip by Nemorino

The Cisalpino company is an Italian-Swiss joint venture with the Italian and Swiss railway systems as equal partners. Cisaplino tilting trains have been running through the Alps between Switzerland and Italy since 1996.

The advantage of the tilting trains is that they can lean into the curves and thus go faster through mountainous routes than conventional trains.

However, since 2005 the Cisalpino company has also taken over all the conventional (non-tilting) international passenger trains on transalpine routes between Italy and Switzerland, so just because it says CIS on the timetable no longer means automatically that it is a tilting train.

Update: The Cisalpino company ceased operations in December 2009 because of numerous problems with maintenance and punctuality, and because people complained about feeling nauseous on the tilting trains. (I didn't have any of these problems, but a lot of other travelers did.)

Now the trains between Switzerland and Italy are again operated directly by the Swiss and Italian railways, mainly under the name "EuroCity", so in the timetable they are called EC instead of CIS. I haven't traveled this route since the change took place, so I can't say what effect it has had, if any, on punctuality and comfort.

Second photo: In one of the second class coaches of a Cisalpino tilting train on the way to Italy.

Third photo: Going through the new Lötschberg Basis-Tunnel under the Swiss Alps.

Fourth photo: View from a Cisalpino train after leaving Spiez.

Mode: TO
Type: Train
Website: http://www.cisalpino.com/index_en.html