Barely a week after warning passengers about strike-related disruptions, regional operator TILO confirmed on 29 May 2026 that all S40 and S50 trains between Stabio (Ticino) and Milan Malpensa Airport will be replaced by buses from 7 June to 5 July while Italian infrastructure manager RFI upgrades track and signalling. Under the diversion plan, Trenord will run shuttle coaches every 30 minutes between Stabio and Gallarate, stopping at all intermediate stations, plus an hourly non-stop bus from Stabio to Malpensa Terminal 1. Travellers will then need to transfer to the airport’s internal service for Terminal 2.
![Month-long closure of TILO S40/S50 rail corridor to Malpensa to start on 7 June]()
If the diversion forces staff to rethink their routing via alternative hubs or cross-border itineraries, VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can quickly identify any additional visa or travel-document requirements and even handle the application on the traveller’s behalf, keeping disruptions to a minimum.
Bicycle transport is not possible on the buses and seat availability is limited. The S40/S50 corridor is the fastest public-transport link between Lugano, Mendrisio and Switzerland’s main intercontinental gateway in northern Italy. Closure during the peak summer conference season threatens to lengthen door-to-door times for Swiss business travellers by at least 45 minutes. Swiss companies that habitually ticket staff on SBB / TILO through-fares should amend travel policies now to include buffer times or alternative routings via Zurich. TILO is advising wheelchair users and passengers requiring assistance to pre-book Swiss rail support at least one hour before departure and to contact Trenord’s PRM desk 48 hours in advance for help on the Italian side. Mobility teams should circulate the dedicated hotlines so that travellers with reduced mobility are not stranded at border stations. Looking ahead, RFI says the works will future-proof the line for the next phase of the European Rail Traffic Management System. However, further closures are likely later in the decade as cross-border operators prepare for the 2029 introduction of 740-metre freight trains. Corporations with supply-chain routes through Gotthard-Simplon-Malpensa should keep an eye on TILO’s service bulletins.
If the diversion forces staff to rethink their routing via alternative hubs or cross-border itineraries, VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can quickly identify any additional visa or travel-document requirements and even handle the application on the traveller’s behalf, keeping disruptions to a minimum.
Bicycle transport is not possible on the buses and seat availability is limited. The S40/S50 corridor is the fastest public-transport link between Lugano, Mendrisio and Switzerland’s main intercontinental gateway in northern Italy. Closure during the peak summer conference season threatens to lengthen door-to-door times for Swiss business travellers by at least 45 minutes. Swiss companies that habitually ticket staff on SBB / TILO through-fares should amend travel policies now to include buffer times or alternative routings via Zurich. TILO is advising wheelchair users and passengers requiring assistance to pre-book Swiss rail support at least one hour before departure and to contact Trenord’s PRM desk 48 hours in advance for help on the Italian side. Mobility teams should circulate the dedicated hotlines so that travellers with reduced mobility are not stranded at border stations. Looking ahead, RFI says the works will future-proof the line for the next phase of the European Rail Traffic Management System. However, further closures are likely later in the decade as cross-border operators prepare for the 2029 introduction of 740-metre freight trains. Corporations with supply-chain routes through Gotthard-Simplon-Malpensa should keep an eye on TILO’s service bulletins.
