Elevation 238 m (781 ft) AMSL Address 6830 Chiasso, Switzerland Owner Swiss Federal Railways | Owned by Swiss Federal Railways Opened 6 December 1874 | |
 | ||
Location Via Giuseppe Motta,
6830 Chiasso,
Canton of Ticino,
Switzerland Operated by Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TILO)
Eurocity (EC)
Trenord Line(s) Immensee - Chiasso (Gotthard railway)
Milan–Chiasso Distance 206.2 km (128.1 mi) from Immensee Similar Mendrisio railway station, Albate‑Camerlata railway station, Como San Giovanni railway st, Balerna railway station, Como Nord Lago railway st | ||
Chiasso railway station (Italian: Stazione di Chiasso) 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.
Contents
The station is both the southern terminus of the Gotthard railway (owned and operated by the Swiss Federal Railways), 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.
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 regional network, 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 EuroCity 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 customs 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.