Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss transport police, who will have the right to make provisional arrests, will become part of the CFF rail system starting in 2011.

The Federal Council Wednesday 27 January approved legislation drawn up by a parliamentary transport commission which will create two security systems for public transport companies. The transport police, who will be identifiable by their uniforms, will be employed only by the CFF, and they will have greater policing powers than those given to security officers, who will be used by smaller transport companies.

Security officers will have the right to stop people to check them, but not the right to arrest them.

Security officers can be employees of private companies, but not the transport police, ending a long debate over the possibility of using private security firms to police the national train lines.

The new law replaces one dating back to 1878. It is designed to separate ticket checking functions from the need to provide some level of policing on trains.