Stadler has expressed its disappointment at Swiss Federal Railways’ decision to award a major double-deck train framework contract to Siemens Mobility, stressing that it had planned to build the new fleet in Switzerland in cooperation with more than 200 local suppliers.
On 7 November 2025, SBB announced that Siemens had been selected for a framework agreement covering up to 200 double-deck trains for the Zurich S-Bahn and western Switzerland, including an initial order for 116 units and an option for 84 additional trains. In a reaction published shortly after the decision, Stadler said it “notes with great regret” that the contract was not awarded to what it describes as a proven Swiss manufacturer of double-deck technology.
According to Stadler, the price difference between its offer and that of Siemens, based on SBB’s scoring system and calculated over 176 double-deck trains, is 0.6 percentage points. The company points out that, with around 6,000 employees in Switzerland and full domestic manufacturing, it was “only 0.6 per cent more expensive than Siemens”. It added that it will now analyse the other elements of SBB’s assessment in more detail.
“A great disappointment” for Stadler
Stadler emphasised its long-standing role as a supplier of double-deck trains to SBB and other operators worldwide, underlining that its KISS fleet has been running successfully on the Zurich S-Bahn since 2012 and is used in daily service in 14 countries.
Stadler CEO Markus Bernsteiner said:
“With 99 per cent availability, Stadler’s double-deck trains are among the most reliable trains in the SBB fleet. The fact that, despite our vehicles being tried and tested and popular in daily use by SBB, we were not chosen to supply SBB with the latest technology is a great disappointment for Stadler and our approximately 6,000 employees in Switzerland.”
Stadler reports that around 700 KISS double-deck trains have been sold worldwide to date, including 192 units in Switzerland.
Strong Swiss manufacturing base and supply chain
The company also underlined the domestic industrial impact of its offer. Stadler builds trains for the Swiss market at its plants in Bussnang (Thurgau) and St. Margrethen in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley, and estimates that up to 80% of the added value from production remains in Switzerland.
More than 200 SMEs across the country supply components to Stadler, forming a broad local value chain. Globally, Stadler employs over 16,600 staff, of which about 6,000 are based in Switzerland.
Despite the SBB decision, the company says it remains strongly attached to its home market and will continue to invest in new railway technologies, training and infrastructure. It also confirmed it will “carefully analyse” SBB’s reasoning behind the award.
SBB: “Swissness” doesn’t matter
SBB noted that public procurement rules forbid favouring domestic suppliers, meaning “Swissness” could not be weighted in the evaluation.
The company emphasised that equal treatment and non-discrimination are strict legal obligations in BöB/VöB procedures, leaving no room for preferential scoring based on national origin. SBB also pointed out that, despite this tender’s outcome, Swiss manufacturers have received the majority of rolling stock orders over the past 25 years.
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