Switzerland's Intercity Trains

Cisalpino Pendolino train - Milan to Geneva

ABOVE: The Cisalpino Pendolino passes the Castle of Chilon on its way from Milan to Geneva. (The SBB's new "tilting trains" are based on the Pendolino concept.)

Archived article

By Durant Imboden

Switzerland's amazing rail network just gets better and better. Recently, the Swiss railroads doubled the frequency of intercity trains on several important routes and added new equipment to reduce travel times.

More trains

Intercity trains now run every half hour between Zürich and Biel/Bienne, Zürich and Lausanne, and Bern and Biel/Bienne. With existing half-hourly service on other routes, this means passengers can catch a train on most Intercity lines every half hour.

The Swiss railroads are also moving towards 24-hour service. More than 20 late-night trains have been added for the convenience of residents and tourists who attend evening culture events. Also, new crack-of-dawn trains make it easier for passengers to reach the Zürich and Geneva airports by 5:30 or 6 a.m. for early-morning flights.

Faster service

Most Intercity lines are now being equipped with either ICN tilting trains (which allow higher speeds on curves) or double-decker IC 2000 trains that operate at speeds up to 200 km/h or 125 mph. This means quicker connections between cities. For example, the time between Zürich and Lausanne has been shaved by 17 minutes.

New equipment, new amenities

Switzerland Tourism locomotive - Swiss Federal Railways

ABOVE: Also new to the Swiss Federal Railways is this electric locomotive in Switzerland Tourism livery.

ICN tilting trains run once per hour on the route that connects Geneva with St. Gallen via Lausanne, Biel/Bienne, and Zürich. The trains offer full dining-car service, "quiet cars" in first and second class where no cellular phones or laptop computers are permitted, and three glassed-in business compartments in first class that offer a table to work on, laptop outlets, and built-in amplifiers for better cell-phone reception.

Double-decker IC 2000 trains include "Bistro Café" cars where passengers can buy snacks, light meals, and beverages for consumption at small tables at a stand-up bar. Each train also has a newly designed family car with playground equipment.

Co-op Railshop

Weekday peak-hour trains between Bern and Zürich include the"Co-op Railshop," an onboard grocery store. The shop offers 900 items, including beverages, cheese, meat, prepared meals, sandwiches, and salads.

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