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SBB RBDe 560

🇨🇭 Switzerland ·built by Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein· from 1984· Railcar attributed to Swiss push-pull trainset, generally known as the Neuer Pendelzug

🚆 multiple unit electric ✓ in service
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. RBDe 560 "Domino" (19968196355): flybyeigenheer· CC BY-SA 2.0
  2. 2. SBB RBDe 560 Glarner Sprinter: Cacetudo· CC BY-SA 2.5
  3. 3. CJ RBDe 560 Vallorbe: Kabelleger / David Gubler ( http://www.bahnbilder.ch )· CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. 4. ETH-BIB Com L34-0269-0001-0002 FFS RBDe 560 Arth-Goldau 270885: Rudolf Steiner· CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 5. FFS RBDe 560 046-5 stemma 280609: NAC· CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 6. FFS RBDe 560 100-9 Wohlen 111110 stemma: NAC· CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. 7. SBB RBDe 560 Train des Vignes: Kabelleger / David Gubler ( http://www.bahnbilder.ch )· CC BY-SA 3.0
  8. 8. 091030 Klus IMG 6744: Roehrensee· CC BY-SA 3.0
  9. 9. 12.11.98 St Gingolph 560.019 (6163592473): Phil Richards from London, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
  10. 10. 20050506S068: Markus Giger· CC BY-SA 4.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
SBB RBDe 560, photo 1 of 10
1/10 flybyeigenheer· CC BY-SA 2.0

what is it?

The RBDe 560 (in the old naming style, the RBDe 4/4) and its derivatives provide motive power for S-Bahn, suburban, and regional traffic on the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) network. The derivative versions belong to the SBB as well as various private railroads. The locomotive and its matching Bt model Steuerwagen (translation: control car/cab car/driving trailer) form compositions generally known as the Neuer Pendelzug (New Push-pull Train), which is the source of the acronym NPZ. An NPZ trainset usually includes one or more intermediate cars.

who runs it

Swiss Federal RailwaysTravys

base stats

  • speed 140 km/htop speed
  • power 1.7 MWpower output
  • weight 70 tin working order
  • seats 56passengers
  • built 84made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

  • First built 42 years ago, in 1984.
  • Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • 1.7 MW is about 19 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
  • Weighs about as much as 12 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • 25 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Still in service after 42 years.

multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.

spec sheet

built
1984
in service from
1984
status
in service
number built
84
kind
multiple unit
traction
electric
origin
🇨🇭 Switzerland
builders
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, Brown, Boveri & Cie, Schindler Holding, ABB Group, SIG Group, Adtranz, Schindler Elevator
operators
Swiss Federal Railways, Travys
top speed
140 km/h
power
1.7 MW
gauge
1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement
Bo'Bo'
length
25 m
weight
70 t
capacity
56 passengers

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q672435, Wikipedia: SBB RBDe 560 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.

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