4 locomotives Re 420 (Re 4/4 II) of SBB Cargo in multiple traction, Re 420 # 259, # 291, # 288 and # 281, are leaving the new 15 kilometer long Ceneri Base Tunnel at Vigana in the Magadino plane, running the test train 97230 from Vezia bifurcazione (near Lugano) to Giubiasco-Bellinzona San Paolo. Re 420 # 288 in the blue/red paint scheme has the inscription " Vorw?rts. Unterwegs mit automatischer Kupplung und Bremsprobe effizient und sicher" (Forward. On the road with automatic couplers and brake test efficient and safe). Re 420 # 288 and # 291 (far right) were coupled with the automatic couplers, so there is a gap of more then half a meter between the buffers. The new Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT) will be inaugurated on 4th of september and timetabled traffic will start in mid december of this year. The CBT is part of the NEAT (Neue Alpen Transversale), together with the 57 kilometer long Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), which opened in 2016 already.
