Chiasso railway station
Encyclopedia
Chiasso railway station is a station owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). It serves the city of Chiasso
, in the Canton
of Ticino
, Switzerland
, and is also a border station between Switzerland and Italy
.
The station is both the southern terminus of the Gotthardbahn
(owned and operated by the SBB-CFF-FFS), and the northern terminus of the Milan–Chiasso railway (owned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
and operated by Trenitalia
). It is situated a few metres from the border, and is separated from the Italian city of Como
by twin railway tunnels through the Monte Olimpino.
In 2009, there was a reduction in the numbers of train services to the station, which led to the reduction in the numbers of certain jobs. Thanks to numerous complaints raised by various sectors of the political and institutional elements of Ticino, Swiss-Italian InterCity
services have returned to Chiasso since December 2009.
offices. Thus, trains for the Italian network start at separate tracks compared to the Swiss network.
With the entry of Switzerland into the Schengen Agreement
, border controls are no longer systematic. However, the Italian Guardia di Finanza
agents and the Swiss Border Guards still have much work to do, both within Chiasso and Como San Giovanni
stations, and in transit on the trains between those two stations.
This article is based upon a translation of the Italian language version as at August 2010. The original authors can be seen here.
Chiasso
Chiasso is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is located at the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso...
, in the Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and is also a border station between Switzerland and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The station is both the southern terminus of the Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn was the name of a private Swiss railway company which operated the railway line from Immensee to Chiasso . Nowadays this term usually does not refer to that company, but to the railway line itself...
(owned and operated by the SBB-CFF-FFS), and the northern terminus of the Milan–Chiasso railway (owned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana is an Italian company fully owned by Ferrovie dello Stato . RFI is the owner of Italy's railway network, it sets train paths, provides signalling, provides maintenance and other services for the railway network...
and operated by Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
). It is situated a few metres from the border, and is separated from the Italian city of Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
by twin railway tunnels through the Monte Olimpino.
Train movements
Given its location, Chiasso is an important station, not only for the connection between Italy and Switzerland, but also for that between northern and southern Europe. The station is served by the long-distance trains that cross the Gotthard, together with line S10 of the Ticino S-Bahn, and line S11 of the Milan suburban service.In 2009, there was a reduction in the numbers of train services to the station, which led to the reduction in the numbers of certain jobs. Thanks to numerous complaints raised by various sectors of the political and institutional elements of Ticino, Swiss-Italian InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
services have returned to Chiasso since December 2009.
Border procedures
As the international border station, Chiasso acts as a transmission facility between the two networks. The traction voltages, motors and signalling systems of the two networks are different, and therefore trains passing through the station must change locomotives. The yard tracks are also required to be divided into two parts, connected to the station's central platform by a corridor, where there are also customsCustoms
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
offices. Thus, trains for the Italian network start at separate tracks compared to the Swiss network.
With the entry of Switzerland into the Schengen Agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
, border controls are no longer systematic. However, the Italian Guardia di Finanza
Guardia di Finanza
The Guardia di Finanza is a Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. Like the Carabinieri, it is part of the Italian Armed Forces. The Guard is essentially responsible for dealing with financial crime and smuggling; it has also evolved into Italy's...
agents and the Swiss Border Guards still have much work to do, both within Chiasso and Como San Giovanni
Como San Giovanni railway station
Como San Giovanni railway station is the main station serving the city and comune of Como, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Opened in 1875, it forms part of the Milan–Chiasso railway, and is also a terminus of the Como–Lecco railway, which branches off the main line a few kilometres to...
stations, and in transit on the trains between those two stations.
Further reading
This article is based upon a translation of the Italian language version as at August 2010. The original authors can be seen here.