Trains in Switzerland - reservations, routes, schedules. All about the Swiss railways How old are the Swiss Federal Railways

Today we’ll talk about trains in Switzerland. I am a big fan of railways; for me, train stations, platforms and locomotives from childhood add up to the romance of travel, which no air transport can reproduce. Sometimes, because of this romance, I embark on strange adventures - for example, I was shocked all night in an old Asian carriage instead of a half-hour flight. But ride on Swiss trains- it’s a pleasure, it’s fast, beautiful and convenient.

Do you like this locomotive? At the end of the post there are photos of different trains in the country.

And most importantly, it is almost always on schedule, unlike neighboring Germany, whose railways disappointed me.

Regular readers of my blog have undoubtedly noticed a constant morbid admiration for me. I still believe that when it comes to rail transport, the Japanese are ahead of the rest, however, the Swiss are not so far behind them. The whole country is carefully covered with a web of railway tracks:

On this map, yellow lines indicate bus routes. And the railways are marked in red. Most of the trains in the country belong to the state-owned railway company with a beautiful name...

1. "SBB CFF FFS", nine consonant letters that can be found throughout the country. This is an abbreviation of the name meaning "Swiss Federal Railways" on three of the main state languages: German, French and Italian. Every three letters represent an abbreviation of the same words in a different language. (Fourth official language country, Romansh is not used in the official name, otherwise “VFS” would have to be added to the inscriptions.)

2. All inscriptions on the system are also duplicated in the three main languages, and also in English. So you don’t have to be afraid of not understanding something and missing something. Popular cities are also announced in English.

3. If Swiss trains have one drawback, it is that they are expensive. A ticket between not so distant cities can cost about $50. Need to drive across the country? It will already be $100 or more.

4. Fortunately for us tourists, the country has a railway (and other) subscription called the Swiss Travel Pass. It is sold for 3, 4, 8 and 15 days, and covers travel on most transport throughout Switzerland. It can be purchased in first or second class. An adult second class ticket costs from 216 francs (for three days) to 458 (15 days). As you can see, it becomes more profitable if you take it for longer. The subscription can be purchased at railway ticket offices (including Zurich and Geneva airports), it entitles you to free travel on trains and city systems public transport.

5. With its help you can even ride on historic ferry boats on Lake Geneva!

In short, if you are planning a trip in which you will need to move around the country a lot, I advise you to purchase this pass. It’s not exactly cheap, but in the end it turns out cheaper than individual tickets. Plus, you will also save a lot of time, since you won’t have to stand in lines at the ticket office every time, and you can safely jump into next train in the right direction.

All train routes are on Google Maps, so finding a train to the desired station is not difficult. Also, the SBB CFF FFS company has released separate applications for phones, which also allow you to plan a route (there are versions for Android and iOS).

An exception to this pass are various types of lifts to mountain peaks. They require a ticket purchase, but Swiss Travel Pass holders receive a 50% discount. The Alpine Tram in Zermatt and the gondolas in the wonderful Lauterbrunnen Valley fall into this category of transport.

6. The main thing is that if you bought a second class Travel Pass, do not get confused and not get into the first class by mistake. It is easy to distinguish between classes: on each carriage at the entrance there is a white number “1” or “2” written.

7. Like its German neighbors, most intercity trains in Switzerland are double-decker. The red and white color scheme is the corporate style for the squads belonging to SBB CFF FFS.

8. Luxurious first class seats are available on both the first and second floors. It looks like this:

9. I haven’t traveled in first class, and I don’t advise you to, without the appropriate ticket. And in general, it’s better not to ride here without a ticket - on almost every trip during the week I came across a ticket inspector who carefully checked all the tickets. They are actively fighting hares here.

10. However, second class is also very comfortable - there are comfortable soft seats, and there is an opportunity to work during long journeys.

11. The table folds out to make it convenient to sit down and stand up, but if desired, you can increase its area to place a computer.

13. In general, what is very pleasing about these trains is the variety of seat configurations. The Swiss understand that different passengers have different needs. Some people want to work quietly, some want to look out the window alone, and some want to communicate with a friendly group. There is a place for all these people on Swiss trains. Here, for example, is a part of the carriage suitable for large parties (this is also 2nd class):

I have more than once observed how such a place was occupied by cheerful groups of teenagers who, by the way, calmly travel from one city to another without adult supervision. These guys looked about 13 years old.

14. For younger passengers, the trains have special play areas. Parents can take their children there so that they don't get bored during long trips. This is good for everyone: the child has fun, parents don’t have to figure out what to do with them, and passengers in the rest of the carriages have peace of mind.

I admit, I saw this on trains several years ago, for some reason I didn’t come across these platform cars on this trip. I hope they haven't been canceled - it's a really cool thing.

15. And on trains (though not all) there are special vestibules for bicycles.

16. There are special mounts inside them where you can attach bikes, skis, etc.

17. Some people attach baby strollers here.

18. Well, what self-respecting European train can do without a dining car?

19. On double decker trains long distance, restaurants are usually upstairs.

20. Everything here is as it should be: tablecloths, normal chairs that can be pulled up, a waiter and a menu. They even pour it. You sit, eat, and Swiss beauties run by outside the window. However, more about them a little later.

21. There is a café on the lower floor for a less formal setting. You can grab a quick bite here (if you don't have to travel that far).

22. Let's look a little at train stations and stations, because they also greatly influence the overall feeling of the railway system... Here is the main station of Zurich - a huge building with high arches, under which the works of sculptors are hung. There are several more underground levels here.

23. The station is so huge that a market is sometimes held in its building! Farmers from all over Europe set up tents right at the station and bring their goods for sale.

24. For example, fruits and vegetables are sold by some granny from a newspaper, and a representative of the BioLand farming group. It all looked so appetizing that I couldn’t resist and bought fresh berries from him.

25. And this is the train station in Bern (yes, the same one where the drunken air of freedom played a cruel joke on Professor Pleischner). The gracefully curved canopies over the escalators to the platforms are made of wood. Looks very cool.

26. There are monitors on the platforms showing when and where the next train will be, where it will stop on the platform, and where the first and second class carriages will be located, and where the restaurant will be.

27. Yes, each station has a clock. Preferably on some tower. After all, after all...

28. Even the smallest stops have a clock tower!

The correct time is a very important thing here, since the entire railway system of the country is debugged, like a precise clockwork. The train schedule is designed so that most transfers last no more than ten minutes (often five!) This takes into account which platform both trains arrive at, in order to give passengers a chance to have time to walk at a normal (but not relaxed!) pace from one train to another. In rare cases, when there are minor delays, the train you want to transfer to will also wait a couple of minutes.

29. But for railway platforms, the company ordered a special watch model. This mechanism and design was developed by Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker in 1944. Yes, you heard right! The war was going on all over the world, and the neutral Swiss were improving railway clocks. (On the other hand, why not, if in the USSR in 1942 they could think about a new letter of the alphabet!) In short, the Swiss railway watch has since become a national symbol and an example of good laconic design. They are even exhibited in our New York at MoMA.

It turns out that this watch is so famous that Apple decided to steal it when it modernized the style of its iPhone firmware. In version 6 of iOS, released in 2012, the clock icon looked suspiciously like a Swiss design, right down to the circle at the end of the red second hand. The Swiss filed a lawsuit against the global manufacturer of gadgets, although the case did not go to court. Apple negotiated an agreement allowing them to use this design. The exact amount of the deal is unknown, but analysts believe that the Swiss received about 20 million francs for using the famous dial.

By the way, the feature of this watch is not only in appearance. The mechanism also has an interesting and non-obvious feature: at the end of each minute, the second hand is delayed slightly to synchronize with all the other clocks in the station. Thus, all the clocks at the station always show exactly the same time.

30. Yes, Swiss trains are comfortable and on time, but that's what we expect from all normal trains (unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way). But where they exceed expectations is in the beauty of the landscapes outside the window. Sitting in the carriage by the window, you can watch the green hills rush past you, high mountains, blue lakes, and small towns with pointed churches.

31. Often the railway is laid right a couple of meters from the shore of the lake.

32. Then it seems that this entire magnificent landscape was created especially for you - for the passenger. For example, driving along Lake Geneva is a pleasure, especially on a clear day. On the far side you can see the French coast, where the Alps rise.

33. Even if your train does not go along the very edge of the water, it is still beautiful. You will be pleased with the view of green fields and vineyards.

34. And if you turn into the mountains, you will be able to shoot snow-capped peaks directly from the window of your train.

Switzerland is rich in natural beauty, and the railways are one of the best ways to see it all. Where else is it so beautiful outside the carriage window? In Japan, that's where. But it's hard to pick a favorite here.

35. Let me show you a few different types of trains that I came across during my week of actively using the Swiss railways. I'll start with the cutest thing - this handsome locomotive was already in the title photo, but it's no harm to show it again!

By the way, if anyone knows the model of this or other trains, write in the comments, I will add the information to the post. Otherwise, I’m a complete noob in this regard.

36. Double decker train I have already shown you the long-distance route, but this is a more regional one, which goes to the mountainous Zermatt.

37. There are also very small trains, more like trams. They walk on narrow gauge tracks. This is exactly what we drove to the tiny town where my friend Alice lives in a centuries-old house.

38. By the way, not all trains in the country belong to the federal railway agency. There are also private lines. And if SBB CFF FFS cars are usually red and white, then private companies choose other colors for their liveries. For example, in the Bern area there are green BLS trains.

39. But I saw such dark blue trains near Lausanne.

40. But such a blue-yellow train lifted us from the lakes up to the valley of the elves.

41. In general, on such private narrow-gauge lines leading to the mountains, you can see very nice trailers. Moreover, it is clear that many of them are quite old designs.

42. Apparently, private companies do not throw out all the obsolete cars, but leave a few on the rails as a museum. Well, if it works for the New York subway, why not here?

43. Look how lovely it is!

44. The biggest trick on Swiss trains is to sit near a window either at the beginning or end of the train. On turns you can take pictures not only beautiful landscape outside the window, but also the tail/head of your composition, which will harmonize perfectly with the surrounding greenery.

Honestly, I can’t imagine how anyone could not love trains. And if you love them, then Switzerland - best country, in order to ride them.

Switzerland is a railway country. Almost any locality can be reached by train, S-Bahn, rack railway or funicular railway. I won’t talk about the federal railways, since I didn’t have to use them on the trip, but we used the most interesting local railway routes.

1. Acquaintance with the railway infrastructure began with the narrow-gauge Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn railway, or more precisely with its section at the Furka tunnel at an altitude of 1,564 m above sea level, 15.34 km long. The peculiarity of this section is that special platforms transport cars, and with passengers.

2. Buy a ticket, enter the platform and after 25 minutes you are on the other side of the pass. Fast, convenient, safe. It is prohibited to get out of the car while driving!

3. And now the steepest railway in the world, Pilatusbahn, with a maximum gradient of 48% and an average gradient of 35%. The line runs from Lake Lucerne to the final stop near the top of Pilatus at an altitude of 2,073 m. The first steam locomotive carried passengers on June 4, 1889, and on May 15, 1937, electric trains appeared on the route.

4. Ascent and descent along the route Alpnachstad - Pilatus Kulm and back costs 72 Swiss francs, and you can also go down to the city of Kriens using the funicular. A trip with a dog will cost you an additional 14 francs.

5. Our plans are to spend the night at an altitude of 2132 meters, so our “monsters” are loaded into the unused rear driver’s cabin.

6. Let's go! I will show the views from the window in another report, but now only transport photos.

7. The road is single track, in the middle of the route there is a place for passing oncoming trains.

8. Pilatusbahn carriage at the entrance to the summit.

9. Train station, also known as Hotel Bellevue, also known as a restaurant for tourists. Of course, all these establishments are located on different floors :).

10. Our next route starts in Lauterbrunnen, canton of Bern. The Wengernalpbahn, a cogwheel railway opened in 1893, takes us to the village of Wengen for a ride on Europe's highest railway, the Jungfraubahn.

11. It’s not visible in the photographs, but it was already dark, light rain was pouring, nothing was visible from the train window at all. Therefore, I will return to this road later, after a trip along the Jungfraubahn.

12. “Retro trains” are also still working, but we will go on this one, which is on the right.

13. Clean and modern Wengernalpbahn trains.

14. Train at the Eismeer intermediate station of the Jungfraubahn railway. The train stops for 5 minutes, so you can get out and admire eternal ice and the grandeur of the rocks. Interestingly, Geier received permission to build on the condition that he provide proof that the rarefied air of the highlands would not harm the health of workers, and later railway passengers. Therefore, on September 15, 1894, at three o’clock in the morning, a group of subjects set off from Zermatt to Breithorn in the Pennine Alps (canton of Valais). Seven people aged 10 to 70 years were carried on stretchers to a high plateau at an altitude of 3750 m, the result of a repeated examination did not find a negative impact of the walk on their health, after which permission was issued.

15. Elevation difference 1400 meters, length 9 km. For those who like to vomit, there are bags.

16. And again Wengernalpbahn.

17. The ticket is inexpensive, within 5 francs, the trains are used not only by tourists, but also by local residents.

18. The views are mesmerizing.

20. We meet a retro train that runs 2 times a day.

21. Beautiful?

22. And here we are again at Lauterbrunnen station.

23. Berner Oberland Bahn rack railway train.

24. And lastly, the Montreux Vevey Riviera (MVR) railway.

25. The peculiarity of the road is that the train must be stopped using a button on a special column. If this is not done, then it will pass by. There is a similar button in the carriage.

26. I can’t tell you the cost of a ticket for this train, since all hotels in most cities in Switzerland issue transport cards to guests, which include travel on city trains and funiculars. And in the canton of Geneva there is even an express train to the airport.

27. Part of the carriage is allocated for first class passengers.

28. Taking the Territet - Glion funicular we see the trains of the Montreux-Glion-Rochers de Naye (MGN) railway. Cool, there is also a cargo cart at the back of the train.

29. And here is such an unusual device.

30. Swiss Federal Railways train SBB-CFF-FFS at the Vevey station.

31. By the way, on sections of the railways I came across very old rails. Here's a railway report. There will be many more interesting things from Switzerland, stay tuned!

You can watch all the latest things on my website.

But in fact, this is my most interesting experience of moving around the country on ordinary passenger trains, where almost every train is a panoramic cinema, showing green meadows, snow-capped peaks, dazzling glaciers and dense forests. Streams and lakes, roads and paths, suspension bridges and multi-level highway overpasses rush past. And most importantly, you have absolutely no time to get tired! The country is very small and traveling by train takes only a few hours, but the emotions remain in the memory for many years.

Let's take a look at a small piece of what you can see from the windows of trains in Switzerland. I didn’t go on tourist panoramic express trains, I just moved around the country by trains and electric trains, but what I saw so far exceeded my expectations that I can say unequivocally - Switzerland is not a country where you need to rent a car, you only need a rail pass here pass!

Swiss Federal Railways, SBB-CFF-FFS is a state-owned railway company.
This is more than 1600 locomotives, more than 4000 passenger cars, more than 13000 freight cars!
And all this in such a small Switzerland, a country that does not even have access to the sea.

Legendary watches of the Swiss Railways. This design could not be surpassed even by Apple, which released iOS7, the interface of which had a copy of this watch. This ended in a lawsuit in which Apple lost to the railroad company!

Just 30-40 minutes from Zurich towards St. Moritz. It is impossible to look at this calmly! This is just a picture from the train window:

Cool advertisement national park, which turns 100 years old.
By the way, an interesting fact that really surprised me is that there is only one (!) national park, which is called Swiss National Prak. Two more have the status of candidates for national parks; the procedure for converting them into national parks lasts for 5-10 years, everything is very democratic and with a voting procedure in several stages. Against - local fishermen and hunters :)

I am always amazed at how conveniently all modes of transport are interconnected and combined into one transport system.

In civilized countries I can no longer live without mobile Internet, I even started using buses in a new and completely unfamiliar city, thanks to Google maps and walking routes to the bus stop that the application builds. Previously, I only used the metro, since delving into paper map bus routes are boring and long.

A very convenient application for iPhone from Swiss Railways, it is convenient to create a route and automatically export it to the calendar:

All passengers must have a clear view of the mountains!

On the table (which is the lid of the urn) there is a route map:

I traveled by train, part of the route is also included in the Bernina Express route. Along its entire length (67 km) there are 42 tunnels and indoor galleries, 144 viaducts and bridges.
And all these 67 km are a UNESCO site!

Of course, it’s better to photograph the red photogenic composition against the background of green foliage in summer or white snow in winter from the side, but it’s very cool to be inside!

This is a Glacier Express car, unfortunately the windows don't open. I rode in it in the evening, when the train was being transferred and it was built into the schedule like an ordinary train.

This is a high-speed intercity train:

Toilet in a two-story train:

In general, words are superfluous here... It's worth watching and definitely a must try! And there is no need for haste here. Take a rail pass and just ride around the most interesting parts of the country.

Practical information:

If you love railways, then the number one information site for you should be Seat61. In all countries the most detailed information, very practical, with all the “appearances and passwords” and all on one page for each country.

Swiss railways don't just transport tourists from one attraction to another. They themselves are an attraction. For example, the great pride of Switzerland is the Rhaetian Railway, which has been operating since 1888. At one time it was the highest mountain in Europe. It was built through incredible passes and gorges, so there are especially many viaducts, tunnels and bridges. The most picturesque railway routes run along it - the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express (I talked about Bernina in a post about). The sections of the routes they follow are included in the UNESCO heritage list.

Today I will talk about why Swiss railways are so good.

Swiss Railways (SBB) are considered the most comfortable in the world. Firstly, the road network in Switzerland is very dense, so you can get to any city and almost any village by train. Secondly, trains run with great frequency: they run between major stations at intervals of half an hour, and you can change from one train to another in 10-15 minutes.

Swiss trains are virtually silent, clean and comfortable. At the exits there are normal steps, unusual for the Russian eye. Both a child and an elderly person can easily climb them, which cannot be said about the steps on Russian trains.

There are special lifts for disabled people; there are no problems loading people with limited mobility onto the train.

Until the middle of the last century, trains had 3 classes of carriages, but in 1956 Swiss Railways switched to a two-class system. See what the interior looks like.

Many trains have power sockets and Wi-Fi, and during the trip you can also enjoy delicious food and Swiss wine.

Trains have large and always clean windows. Most of the railway routes follow amazingly picturesque places, so the main thing in trains is to provide passengers with a good view.

The Swiss Travel System (STS) operates here for tourists. It is perfectly thought out and economical, and includes, in addition to railways, water and bus routes. The map shows that using this system you can actually get to anywhere in the country. Train routes are marked in red.

The system is convenient with its travel tickets: for example, with a SWISS Travel Pass you can ride trains throughout the country as much as you like. It can be purchased for a period of four days to a month. It also applies to all types of public transport in 75 Swiss cities. And in addition, it is a pass to 470 museums in Switzerland. By the way, the winner of the quest will receive such a ticket for the duration of their trip.

The travel system in Switzerland includes the famous panoramic routes: Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Golden Pass, William Tell Express and various others. If you have a pass, you can also ride on them for free. But on some of them you will need to pay extra for reserving a seat in the carriage. For lovers of nature and mountain landscapes, such trips cannot be compared with anything.

For example, on the Golden Pass route you will see plenty of spruce forests and green pastures with grazing cows. From the height of the road you can admire the lakes and distant snow-capped peaks of the Alps. The Pre-Alpine Express offers views of steep cliffs and picturesque hills. And the William Tell Express passes through the famous Saint Gotthard pass (the same one along which Suvorov led Russian troops in 1799). Trains pass it through a tunnel.

This year a new tunnel will open in this place, which will become the longest railway tunnel in the world. Its length will be 57 km. It will save passengers about an hour. It will be tested in the summer, then freight trains will begin to operate on it, and it will become fully operational in December.

And of course, some of the railway routes are included in the Grand Tour of Switzerland. :) You can click on the picture to see the beautiful one interactive map with a description of the places where the Grand Tour trains pass.

Switzerland. Railway Passion