Before and after comparison Rail fans can look forward to these five timetable changes in particular
The new timetable brings new lines for rail travelers. blue News has taken a look at the most interesting changes.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In Switzerland, the European timetable change will bring more frequent services on important routes such as Basel-Biel and more Intercity connections between Zurich and Chur.
- There will be several new night trains, including Bern-Zurich-Airport and Fribourg/Sion-Geneva, making early flights more accessible.
- There are also new international services, with the TGV Lausanne-Marseille running more frequently and a new direct ICE between Brig and Berlin. And Zurich can travel to Livorno without changing trains.
On Sunday, the whole of Europe changes its timetable. blue News has taken a look at which changes are particularly eye-catching throughout Switzerland - and which new connections commuters and tourists can look forward to the most.
Basel-Biel: Half-hourly service is back
Before: There is currently only an hourly connection between Basel and Biel via Delémont in the canton of Jura. In between, there is a second connection with a change in Olten. The reason: this year, construction work was carried out in several places on the Jura line. Among other things, double-track sections were built and stations were modernized to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
New: From the timetable change, an express train will once again run every half hour between Basel-Delémont-Biel. The IR56 ends in Biel, the IC51 continues to Lausanne, giving Basel a connection to French-speaking Switzerland again without having to change trains.
Zurich-Chur: Half-hourly service throughout the day
Previously: The IC3 runs between Zurich and Chur with stops in Sargans and Landquart. Previously, the train ran every hour (departure xx:38 in Zurich). At peak times, the train also ran every half hour (departure xx:07 in Zurich).
New: SBB has announced that there are now more IC3 connections, which means that there are more frequent half-hourly services between Zurich and Chur on weekdays. "More frequent" means that individual new connections are being added. For example, an Intercity now runs from Zurich to Chur as early as 06:07. This means skiers can get to the slopes earlier. However, there is still no continuous half-hourly service. At weekends, there will also be another direct train between Geneva-Bern-Zurich-Chur.
Caution in the city of Zurich
- After two pieces of good news, we would like to add a big warning for all those who will be traveling in the city of Zurich: Almost everything in Zurich's streetcar timetable will change.
- The reason for this is the complete closure of the HB/Bahnhofquai stop. As a result, many streetcar lines are taking new routes and some have been renumbered.
- Anyone planning a trip to the city of Zurich should therefore check the timetable well in advance and not rely on the usual routes.
New night train Bern-Zurich
Previously: If you wanted to travel from Bern to Zurich today or wanted to catch an early flight at Zurich airport, you could only catch a slow Interregio train at 04:18. It didn't arrive at the airport until 05:41, making particularly cheap and early flights almost impossible.
New: The IRN1 now runs at weekends. This is a new type of night train that will be introduced from the next timetable change. The train leaves Bern at 03:00 in the direction of Winterthur and arrives at Zurich Airport at 04:16. This is early enough to catch the first flights, which take off at around 6 am. Conversely, the IRN1 now runs from Zurich to Berne at 02:02, allowing party people from the federal city to party longer in Zurich.
New night train: Fribourg/Wallis-Geneva
Not only "Üsserschwiizer", as the people of Valais call the rest of Switzerland, will benefit from the new night train network. Two new lines are also planned in French-speaking Switzerland.
Before: If you wanted to travel from Sion to Geneva Airport, you had no chance of catching the first flights by train. The earliest connection left Sion at 04:30 and arrived at the airport at 06:44. The situation in Fribourg looks a little better at the moment: With the night train of the S-Bahn you could at least reach Geneva airport at 05:49. However, this was often too close for the first planes.
New: Western Switzerland also has night connections at the weekend with the REN1 and REN9. The REN1 leaves Fribourg at 02:26 and arrives at Geneva Airport at 04:15. The other night train leaves Sion at 02:09 and arrives at Geneva Airport at 04:23. In between, the trains stop at several locations, including Palézieux/Montreux and Lausanne.
More frequent: TGV Lausanne-Marseille
Previously: Until now, a TGV express train only ran from Lausanne and Geneva to the French Mediterranean coastal city of Marseille during the summer months of July and August. This train was not only transfer-free, but also particularly fast: instead of changing trains twice and taking five to six hours, the TGV direct train meant a journey time of 4:18 hours. As a result, it was possible to visit a restaurant in Marseille by midday.
New: The TGV will now run from April to October. In the timetable, it will run from Thursday to Monday. Some regions of German-speaking Switzerland can also benefit from this. For example, people from Bern can take the 06:04 train to Geneva and change to the TGV there. Arrival in Marseille: 12:10.
Further international timetable changes
- Brig-Berlin: If you have a lot of legroom, there is now a direct ICE connection from Brig (07:45) or Bern (09:04) to the German capital Berlin (arrival 17:34). The train replaces the current Interlaken-Berlin connection.
- The previous Eurocity Zurich-Genoa (departure 10:33 in Zurich, arrival at 15:52) will now run as far as Livorno. This will take almost nine hours. Between Genoa and Livorno, however, the train runs on the impressive route along the Mediterranean coast and offers an impressive sunset in the evening.
- Anyone traveling in Austria will be delighted with the opening of the Koralm Railway: it connects Graz and Klagenfurt and reduces the journey time from currently over three hours to 41 minutes.