BERN, SWITZERLAND – The electric supply for Swiss trains has been given a CHF37 million boost: as of the start of 2014 two new systems that guarantee a steady and reliable electric system for the country’s trains are fully operational, the SBB/CFF rail company said 21 January.

The first, EMS, is an energy system that covers electricity from the production plant to the rail lines and the second, the FLS, links contact points along all the rail lines.

The old system was gradually replaced during 2013, in a series of moves that ramped up to the new system, which included replacing outmoded computer systems. The FLS in particular allowed more harmonization, with three different systems throughout the country replaced by one.

Engineers and other staff who look for problems in the future will be far better equipped to quickly find the source of a failure or weak spot, says the company.

SBB/CFF trains used some 2,300 GWh in 2012, with electricity use inching down as efficiency measures are put into use.