Many innovations for the timetable change – look
In order to be at the train station on time, it is worth checking the timetable before your first train journey next Sunday. (archive image)
From the timetable change on December 11, there will be direct connections every two hours between Romanshorn TG and Interlaken BE. This means that the Bernese Oberland is now better connected to eastern Switzerland and the greater Zurich area, as SBB announced. In addition, Basel and Olten SO benefit from additional direct connections to Valais.
Trains run directly from Montreux VD to Interlaken. This Golden Pass route, which is also popular with tourists, is made possible with railway wagons that can change gauges: The trains in Zweisimmen BE change from narrow gauge to standard gauge and travelers no longer have to change trains, as the Bernese construction and transport department announced.
According to SBB, the intercity trains between Zurich and Chur run almost continuously every half hour on weekends. In future, there will also be two direct intercity connections between Geneva and Chur at weekends. The Bündnerland can now be reached directly from Romandy, it said.
On the Gotthard axis, the offer will be expanded, especially in the summer months: on Friday there are additional trains heading south, on Sunday in the opposite direction.
Relief trains for commuters continue to run in the mornings and evenings between Zurich and Bern and between Zurich and Lucerne. In addition, connections between Zurich and Arth-Goldau SZ, some of which have been canceled, will be reintroduced uniformly by next June.
The transport company Aargau Verkehr (AVA) described the start of the Limmat Valley Railway as “historic”. It connects the canton of Aargau with the canton of Zurich and runs from Killwangen AG to Zurich-Altstetten.
The Waldenburgerbahn between Waldenburg BL and Liestal will resume operation on a route of approximately the same length of 13 kilometers after the timetable change.
The offer for train travel abroad WILL also be expanded. There is now an additional night train to Prague, which can also be used to reach Leipzig and Dresden from Zurich and Basel by train.
The train is increasingly becoming the means of transport of choice, especially when traveling abroad, wrote the SBB. Is it also possible to give more seats on the night trains to Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna and Graz. There are also more direct trains between Zurich and Stuttgart.
When the timetable changes, the “Railplus” discount card is no longer available. This made it possible to travel 15 percent cheaper in international passenger transport. According to the industry organization Alliance Swiss Pass, the card will be withdrawn from sale across Europe in the coming year.
According to the industry organization, prices for public transport will remain stable next year. This is despite the fact that the increased electricity prices also affect SBB. The Federal Office of Transport is therefore planning to increase traction current prices.
From the end of 2023, a subscription model with credit, simply a “public transport credit”, will be introduced. It is intended to compensate for the loss of customers for GA travelcards. According to the Alliance Swiss Pass, the range for young people will be more attractively priced.
Buying tickets for bikes or dogs should be easier with the current timetable change. A dog pass is then also available as a monthly subscription.
(SDA)
