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Weesen station is being reactivated for the ESAF.
Wikimedia Commons
Up to 350,000 visitors are expected to attend the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Mollis. SBB and SOB are running around 500 extra trains so that fans of wrestling can travel to the event without traffic jams - and have even reactivated a disused station.
Up to 350,000 visitors flock to Glarnerland on the last weekend in August, where the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ESAF) takes place in Mollis. To prevent traffic jams on the roads, SBB and SOB are running around 500 extra trains, according to a press release. This means that a total of 170,000 additional seats are available. If all ESAF extra trains were to be lined up, this would result in a route of over 100 kilometers.
The Näfels-Mollis and Weesen stations have been temporarily expanded to cope with the crowds. Weesen station, which had been closed since 2013, was reactivated for the festival. During the major event, Näfels-Mollis will become the terminus and the line to Netstal will remain closed. Trains and rail replacement buses will ensure the connection in the canton of Glarus - however, waiting times are to be expected due to the mostly single-track routes.
Around 200 customer advisors are on duty at the stations in Näfels-Mollis, Netstal, Nieder- and Oberurnen, Weesen, Ziegelbrücke, Zürich HB, Pfäffikon SZ and Rapperswil. They help travelers with questions and guide them towards the festival site. Security will be provided by 80 police officers from the transport police, together with the Glarus cantonal police and the Eastern Switzerland Police Concordat.
Arena visitors can purchase a special "Schwingbillett" ticket for the journey to the event: For 49 francs with a half-fare card (72 francs without), it is valid for four days for the outward and return journey to Weesen or Näfels-Mollis. If you do not have a ticket for the arena, you will need a regular ticket. SBB recommends buying tickets in advance or via SBB Mobile to avoid long waiting times - especially as there are no ticket machines in Weesen.
The first extra trains arrive in Näfels-Mollis at 4.30 am and in Weesen at 4.56 am. From there, shuttle buses will take passengers to Näfels, where they can reach the festival mile in around 15 minutes on foot. There is also a 20 to 25-minute walk from Netstal directly to the ESAF site.
