New SBB railway hub takes shape in Arbedo-Castione

The scale of SBB’s new industrial railway facility in Arbedo-Castione is now becoming visible. The CHF755 million project includes a steel structure weighing more than 7,500 tonnes. Its first production processes are expected to start in mid-2028.

The hub will combine railway maintenance and component processing under one roof, gradually replacing the historic Bellinzona workshops. Construction began around June 2025. Roughly two thirds of the planned concrete and 3,000 tonnes of the metal structure have so far been put in place.

The main concrete and steel work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The focus in 2027 will shift to technical systems and interior finishing. Arbedo-Castione station is also being upgraded to serve as the main access point for the complex.

Ten kilometres of track

The railway work includes a fourth track and about ten kilometres of infrastructure when new and rebuilt sections are counted together. The move from Bellinzona will take place in stages. The two plants will operate in parallel for about a year so that activities, machinery and expertise can be transferred without interrupting services.

Around 360 people are expected to work at the new facility, compared with nearly 500 at the current workshops. SBB management believes the reduction can be handled without layoffs. The workforce’s relatively high average age and expected retirements during the transition should absorb much of the difference.

The move changes the industrial geography of the Bellinzona region. It brings a technologically advanced facility to Castione, but the transition will remain demanding: production continuity must be maintained while expertise is transferred and staffing levels decline.