Morning commuters on Switzerland’s high-speed Mattstetten–Rothrist line faced major delays after Eurocity 61 from Basel to Milan lost power inside the 6.9-km Murgenthal tunnel at 07:15 CET. The train, carrying around 500 passengers, initially appeared to require an evacuation by the SBB fire-and-rescue train, but engineers managed to restart the locomotive, allowing it to roll back to Olten two hours later.
During the incident, all following services on the pivotal north-south axis were forced to turn around or divert via the slower Burgdorf route, adding 15–30 minutes to journey times and leading to several missed connections for international travellers heading to Zurich Airport and beyond. Freight slots were also cancelled, squeezing the already tight capacity on the Lötschberg and Gotthard corridors.
![Eurocity Basel–Milan with 500 Passengers Stalls in Murgenthal Tunnel, Causing Morning Chaos]()
Travel planners faced with such unexpected disruptions may also suddenly need to check visa validity or secure emergency travel documents; VisaHQ’s streamlined platform (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can expedite visa applications for Switzerland, Italy and many other countries, giving passengers one less worry when rebooking itineraries at short notice.
Although the line reopened shortly after 09:00, rail-operator SBB has launched an investigation into the vehicle fault amid concerns about ageing Eurocity rolling stock used on cross-border services with Trenitalia. The company is accelerating its fleet-renewal programme, but the new Giruno sets will not fully replace the older coaches until 2027.
For global mobility managers the episode highlights the vulnerability of Switzerland’s otherwise punctual rail network to single-point failures on high-capacity corridors. Firms planning same-day cross-border meetings—particularly in Milan’s fashion and pharmaceutical districts—should build in contingency buffers or consider video alternatives when stakes are high.
During the incident, all following services on the pivotal north-south axis were forced to turn around or divert via the slower Burgdorf route, adding 15–30 minutes to journey times and leading to several missed connections for international travellers heading to Zurich Airport and beyond. Freight slots were also cancelled, squeezing the already tight capacity on the Lötschberg and Gotthard corridors.
Travel planners faced with such unexpected disruptions may also suddenly need to check visa validity or secure emergency travel documents; VisaHQ’s streamlined platform (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can expedite visa applications for Switzerland, Italy and many other countries, giving passengers one less worry when rebooking itineraries at short notice.
Although the line reopened shortly after 09:00, rail-operator SBB has launched an investigation into the vehicle fault amid concerns about ageing Eurocity rolling stock used on cross-border services with Trenitalia. The company is accelerating its fleet-renewal programme, but the new Giruno sets will not fully replace the older coaches until 2027.
For global mobility managers the episode highlights the vulnerability of Switzerland’s otherwise punctual rail network to single-point failures on high-capacity corridors. Firms planning same-day cross-border meetings—particularly in Milan’s fashion and pharmaceutical districts—should build in contingency buffers or consider video alternatives when stakes are high.
