The S50 is a railway service that runs every hour between Biasca and Malpensa Aeroporto Terminal 1 in the Swiss canton of Ticino and the Italian state of Lombardy, respectively. Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TILO), a joint venture of Swiss Federal Railways and Trenord, operates the service.

S50
A Bellinzona-bound S50 at Varese in 2018
Overview
First service	15 December 2014 (2014-12-15)
Current operator(s)	Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia
Route
Termini	Biasca Malpensa Aeroporto Terminal 1
Average journey time	2 hours 16 minutes
Service frequency	60 minutes
Line(s) used	Gotthard line Mendrisio–Varese line Porto Ceresio–Milan line Domodossola–Milan line Saronno–Novara line Busto Arsizio–Malpensa line [it]
Route map Legend Regional services to Airolo Biasca S10 S50 Castione-Arbedo S20 Bellinzona Giubiasco S90 RE80 S20 to Locarno S90 south via Gotthard line Ceneri Base Tunnel S90 north via Gotthard line Lugano S60 to Ponte Tresa Lugano Paradiso Melide Maroggia-Melano MG to Capolago Lago Capolago-Riva San Vitale MG to Generoso Vetta Mendrisio San Martino Mendrisio RE80 S10 S40 to Chiasso Stabio Italy–Switzerland border Cantello-Gaggiolo Regional services to Porto Ceresio Arcisate Induno Olona Regional services to Saronno Varese S5 S40 Regional services to Laveno-Mombello S30 to Laveno-Mombello Regional services to Sesto Calende Gallarate S30 Busto Arsizio S5 to Rho Busto Arsizio Nord Ferno-Lonate Pozzolo Malpensa Aeroporto Terminal 1 Malpensa Aeroporto Terminal 2 [1][2] This diagram: view talk edit

Operations

The S50 runs every hour from Biasca to Malpensa Aeroporto Terminal 1.[lower-alpha 1] It uses the Ceneri Base Tunnel between Giubiasco and Lugano, bypassing the traditional Gotthard route. The S50 and S10 operate as a single train between Biasca and Mendrisio. The S50 is paired with the S40 between Mendrisio and Varese, providing half-hourly service. South of Varese it runs express to Gallarate, complementing the half-hourly local service of Trenord's S5.[4]

History

The S50 was introduced on 15 December 2014, with the partial reopening of the Mendrisio–Varese line between Mendrisio and Stabio.[5] The S50 operated hourly rush-hour services between Mendrisio and Stabio, with a limited number of trains operating to and from Bellinzona. It was paired with the S40, which continued from Mendrisio to Albate-Camerlata. The service did not operate on Sundays.[6] The full reopening of the Mendrisio–Varese line on 7 January 2018 led to the extension of the S50 south to Varese and the increase of the frequency to hourly between Bellinzona and Varese. The S10 and S50 began operating as a single train between Bellinzona and Mendrisio.[7][8] On 9 June 2019 the S50 and S40 swapped southern termini, with the S50 operating through to Malpensa Aeroporto and the S40 terminating at Varese.[9]

The opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel transformed regional services in Ticino. On 5 April 2021, the S50 and S10 began using the tunnel and bypassing all local stops between Giubiasco and Lugano. The northern terminus moved from Bellinzona to Biasca.[10]

Notes

References

External links

• Media related to S50 (TILO) at Wikimedia Commons
• Official site