Review of the export autumn

As an active member of Team Switzerland, Swissrail looks back on an intense and successful export autumn 2025. Numerous inbound missions, delegation trips and international trade fair appearances have shown that Swiss mobility solutions are in demand worldwide – and that Swissrail plays a central role in this.

The joint study with LITRA underlines the importance of international cooperation: more than 95% of Swissrail members are export-oriented, and every third franc is earned abroad. This makes it all the more important to support our members as effectively as possible in accessing promising markets.

Inbound missions from three continents

This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming delegations from Chile, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Vietnam and Laos to Switzerland. Inbound programs are efficient and cost-effective and allow guests to experience Swiss technology directly on site. Experience shows that inbound missions provide significantly more time for personal technical discussions. A telling example: while at a trade fair in Delhi there was barely time for more than a brief handshake, India’s Minister of Railways spent an entire day in Switzerland engaging in in-depth exchanges with Swissrail and several member companies. Further high-level delegations are already expected in the context of WEF 2026.

Strong Swiss presence at TRAKO

At TRAKO in Gdansk, more than 20 Swiss companies presented their innovations, strengthening their presence in the important Polish market and across Eastern Europe. A particular highlight was the networking event held on a boat on Wednesday evening, bringing together local operators, authorities and industry representatives. Eastern Europe remains a growth market; numerous large and niche projects offer significant potential for our members. Swissrail remains active and committed to creating favourable framework conditions and meaningful platforms for its members.

“The presence of Swissrail at leading international trade fairs sustainably strengthens the visibility and competitiveness of the Swiss rail industry.”
Daniel Herren, ComatReleco AG

Italy – close and important

With the SWISS Pavilion at Expo Ferroviaria in Milan, the Swiss Business Hub Italy consistently provides an important platform for visibility and networking in our neighbouring country. Italy offers major opportunities, particularly for the supplier industry. For this reason, Swissrail will organise a trip from Milan to Rome in spring / summer 2026.

Milestones in India

India is one of the most dynamic mobility markets worldwide. As an example, India is currently building around 6000 kilometres of new railway lines every year – equivalent to the entire Swiss rail network. In October 2025, Swissrail perfectly captured the momentum and travelled to Delhi with a large delegation just two weeks after the entry into force of TEPA (the free trade agreement between India and the EFTA states). More than 120 participants attended the Swiss–Indian Railway & Mobility Sector Meet. Numerous one-to-one meetings enabled them to establish many new contacts and gain valuable knowledge for doing business successfully in India. The 4th Joint Working Group between the Swiss Federal Office of Transport and the Indian Railway Board, held on the same day, provided an excellent opportunity to address concerns and concrete topics at the highest level. A breakthrough was achieved during the meeting with the Ministry of Road and Transportation. A new MoU is intended to institutionalise discussions in the future not only on rail, but also on topics such as e-buses, cableways and overall mobility.

“The mission to India was a great success: Swissrail connected us perfectly, enabled exciting encounters and created a platform for inspiring collaboration.”
Anton Gunzinger and Nathalie Binder, Supercomputing Systems AG

Japan focuses on Swiss quality

To conclude the year, Swiss companies presented their technologies at Mass-Trans Innovation Japan (MTIJ) in Tokyo. With 27 participating companies, the Swiss presence reached a new record. The strong interest shown by Japanese partners underlines the potential for even closer cooperation between the two leading rail nations. Quality, reliability and safety are just three of the shared values that were also discussed during the networking event attended by more than 160 participants at the Swiss Residence.

Swiss support for the reconstruction of Ukraine

In autumn, Swissrail further advanced its activities related to the reconstruction of Ukraine. In September, a webinar held jointly with SECO provided information on the current status of Swiss measures, their design and the expected implementation timeline. In the same month, the Swiss Delegate for Ukraine, Jacques Gerber, announced in Kyiv the first twelve projects to be financed with Swiss support, including projects from two Swissrail members. Of the total CHF 93 million in SECO contributions allocated, CHF 27.3 million are earmarked for rail infrastructure. A second call for proposals with a budget of CHF 200 million is expected in January 2026. Key criteria include an existing or developing local presence as well as local training aspects. In parallel, project planning for the ‘Project Facility Agency’ for preliminary studies has been further specified; associations and Swissrail are involved via SURA in the discussions and subsequent planning. In addition, SECO is working on a state agreement to enable Swiss projects to be financed in the future even without a local subsidiary in Ukraine.

Furthermore, Swissrail has developed a MoU with the Ukrainian state railway UZ to strengthen cooperation, with signing targeted for WEF 2026. Updates will continue to be shared within the Ukraine group.

Interested parties can contact Noelle Meier at noelle.meier@swissrail.com. Swissrail thanks all members and partners, in particular SECO, the Federal Office of Transport, S-GE, the Swiss Business Hubs, embassies, SERV and partner associations, for the excellent cooperation.

Export autumn 2025 has clearly demonstrated that Switzerland remains a preferred global partner for high-quality rail and mobility solutions. We look forward to the next steps in 2026.

Read the complete edition of the express here.

Note on the translation: this text was translated using AI and checked by us. If you find any mistakes or something that is not clear, please let us know.