The World’s Most Unconventional Rail Line? | Zurich Uetliberg Bahn S10
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- Special thanks to Dominic Stucki and yorryyorry for providing information and footage for this video!
Dominic’s thread about the Zurich Uetliberg Bahn: / 1515961706383560709
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After watching this video about a steep railway in Zurich check out this other video on the even STEEPER metro in Lausanne!
ua-cam.com/video/MCHyjqYItfA/v-deo.html
I live here in Zürich and never even noticed that the power delivery system of the S10 is off centre until you pointed it out.
Haha, I am happy to share this tidbit!
And now you can never unsee it ;)
How can you miss that?! I noticed it within 5 seconds of seeing it. haha
@@mdhazeldine when you travel/commute you don’t usually notice the details of the transit. Also the only reason why you have noticed that is since the stock footage is the only focus at that time.
@@breenseaturtle no.
Some people notice this every time 😉
This is a country that experimented with electric steam trains in the early 40's (because for some reason they were having difficulties getting coal from Germany at the time), by sticking a heating element in the boiler and a pantograph on the top.
And it worked fine. One of them at least os in preservation, sadly the electric part was removed after the war
Early '40s is during WWII. Lots of coal was needed to produce the steel needed for armaments as well as airplanes and ships.
@@pauly5418 yeah, that was his point…
@@pauly5418 Not in Switzerland, but these two teakettles could save the coal for a regional train locomotive.
I do wonder if this sort of conversion will become necessary for preserved steam locomotives in the future.
Switzerland never stops impressing.
I agree! So well run!
@@RMTransit so maybe you can talk about our S18 or better known Forchbahn (Frida)
From the 11th of December 2022 (opening "Tram" Number 20 or Limmattalbahn") there will be a new impressing fun fact: Then you can travel from Esslingen in the East of Kanton Zurich through Zurich to Wohlen in the East of Kanton Aargau (over 40 Kilometer) on Meter gauge. => S18 =>Tram 2 =>Tram 20 =>S17
Travelling on this line was without a doubt the highlight of my trip to Switzerland back in 2014. The view from the lookout tower at the top of the hill is simply amazing on a good day.
It's something I recommend anyone visitng Zurich does!
There's a great MB trail and if enough snow a sledge trail is open
I love everything about the Swiss rail system so I’m excited for this. Also as a pointer if you like trains & visit Switzerland, it’s definitely worth getting “Swiss Pass” tourist ticket (€275 for 3 days, forget CHF price) as it also inc some cable cars & most public leisure ferries. You will get to every nook and cranny from Italian speaking Lugano to French Speaking Geneva & everywhere in between. Something so freeing about able to run around the country and hop on most things without a second thought especially in somewhere so legendary expensive
of 150CFH half fare card, which stays valid 1 year
Yeah, the half fare card is nice, but probably not worth it of you’re only visiting once a year. Also you’ll still have to buy individual tickets with it
@@axolotl938 yeah my friend did HFC on her visit and it didn’t exactly work out as planned. Buying tickets and stuff wrecked the seemlessness
@@FortuneZer0 oftentimes they also offer a trial GA for a month for 340Fr in 2nd class. I'm on that right now and it's great to hop on a train just for a meal and then end up in another region
You can also buy Saver Day pass well in advance from 52 CHF a day or consider EuRail/InterRail travel pass which is sometimes cheaper but does not include ferries and cable cars (and requires some extra paperwork). Oh there are many different tickets for the same trains over here.
In Oslo, we use our Metro lines for getting out as well as to work. Line 1 up to Frognerseteren for skiing downhill in the winter and walking trips in the summer. You can also take Line 5 to Sognsvann for walking trips there. In fact, you can take Line 1 to Frognerseteren and walk down a 3-4 hour trip to Line 5 at Sognsvann. Line 3 can also be taken to the outside of Oslo, to a place named Kolsås. Here you can walk up an extinct volcano.
We also have buses going to the forest too. Many take the train with their bikes too and bike back to Oslo. So much easier taking a bike on a Metro or Train than fiddling with the car and also looking for parking spaces. Nice video btw. Switzerland is awesome!
My favorite line is the Sognsvann, it used to be my daily walking trip back in the day.
Stay tuned for an Oslo Metro video!
@@RMTransit Oslo wouldn't be a city if it didn't have a metro. It's a city built up of tiny villages and places that it owns now. It is a very widespread city.
Just scaled Kolsåstoppen last week! Great views 👍🏻
"Organization before electronics before concrete" may be the greatest mantra ever.
I agree!
I used to work in IT for SBB and it is true. They try to do a lot using IT in order to avoid more construction. Not only is construction expensive, it is very hard to do in a country with little space and with a very democratic fabric.
Fun Fact: The Stadler Trains (Be 510 and Be 570) actually run on the network of the Sihltalbahn during night on the SN4 (S-Bahn Night train) with the pantograph in the middle and AC.
Yeah true, I live next to the S4 Line and that's truly appreciated since the S4 trains (i think theyre dostos) are pretty loud.
They only run at night during the weekend though, every hour that is.
And one annoying part about this is that they use only one train of the B510 (not 2 linked together) when they run them at night, and because a lot of people enjoy the nightlife in Zurich on weekends, the train is often extremely packed at the earlier hours of the night. But ey, it's a better option than taking the Uber, especially now that the night tax is gone too, I just get the halbtax abo for zones 110 and 150 for 93 fr a month and I know im covered whenever I go to work, school, or out to party.
I think they also use the B510 for the train that goes to Sihlwald, which is one train every hour on the S4 line, probably cause the train is usually a bit delayed since the driver has to run to the other side of the train and switch cabs at Sihlwald, and he has basically no time to do that since Langnau to Sihlwald and back plus switching the cabs must happen within 10 minutes (I think the route takes about 8 minutes to and back). So they use the B510 since it has faster acceleration.
They also use the B510 I think in case that one of the older trains on the s4 line has a malfunction, which sadly happens quite often. Lately the s4 line has had major delays due to malfunctions in either train or line, imo they should really think about fixing that first before they implement their new 7.5 minute tact instead of the 10 minute one we have now.
But at the same time in peak hours I guess since a train comes every 10 minutes delays arent really a problem haha.
The S10 is such a funky and weird railway line. I might just book a weekend to Zurich just for photographing and riding that line.
Unfortunately for you the conversion to 15000 AC is already taking place. I think it is due to be finished in August.
Worth it!
@@Fan652w wait really? Aah I thought they started the work after summer.
Achten sie aber auf die Zeiten. Die S10 ist ein Teil des Service Public. Darum am besten über den Tag fahren, nicht am Morgen oder Abend. Zwar sind in der Hauptverkehrszeit am meisten Fahrten bestellt, wobei der Zug zu dieser Zeit extrem voll ist. Zwischen 9 Uhr und 16 Uhr ist es empfehlenswert. Sie können auf dem Uetliberg wandern gehen. Mit Kinderwagen oder Rollstuhl ist es zwar ein bisschen anstrengend, ist aber alles Barrierenfrei. Zirka 1 bis 2 Stunden wandern bis Felsenegg. Sie müssen dann nicht mit der Seilbahn runter, sondern zirka 400 Meter weiter laufen. Dort finden sie das Restaurant, welches extrem gute Dessert anbietet. Mit der Seilbahn runter ins Tal und von dort mit der S4 zurück zum Hauptbahnhof
@@Ms_1977 Danke! Some very good tips
Used this line daily back when I lived in Zurich. It was awesome and would often take a ride to the top of the mountain after work for fun.
Taking the trains around Switzerland's lakes, mountains, gorgeous old lakeside mountain towns was exhilarating and restorative. Such a beautiful country. The Swiss are calm, relaxed people and have no problem switching from one language to another including to English. How lucky they are to live in such a peaceful country.
Some other rather unconventional mass transit lines include the Lyon Metro line C and the Stuttgart Stadtbahn line 10. Both are rack railways fully integrated into the regular mass transit system, with the Lyon line operating like a regular metro (although the other ones use rubber tyres, because France). The Stuttgart line was opened in 1884, and as opposed to the rest of the system is metre gauge. Both see inclines of 17% even though they use flat-floored vehicles.
right, the suttgart rackraily way sees incines of 17,8%, and the regular Stadtbahn (U15) sees inclines of 8,5% (this is the steepest bit of normal gauge track in europe if i`m not mistaken)
Stay tuned for a video on some of these . . .
@@RMTransit if you need some information on the Stuttgart stadtbahn feel free to ask
The Lyon line C was actually mentioned in the unconventional railways video and Stuttgart line 10 isn't a Stadtbahn line since it lacks the U symbol found on the other lines. Nonetheless, a video about rack railways should definitively be made sooner or later with these two as an example for urban rack railways.
@@youmightnotknowme9861 second steepest. Sheffield Supertram in England has a steeper section, at 10%.
In Switzerland rn loving the railways (except for the prices sometimes lol) they make so many crazy things work well and run better service to little hamlets than literally 99% of the US. Will hopefully get to ride the S10 in a week or so. Check out the Rhb in Grisons/Graubunden, amazing what kind of service they run with meter gauge trains through town like a tram to over alpine passes.
why? the prices aren't so high.A GA 2.Klasse kosts 3800 yearly.
If you do the trains of Zurich, don't forget the two funiculars (Polybahn and Rigiblick) and the rack railway (Dolderbahn).
Greetings from Zurich
I shall not!
Please note that the DC operation on S10 is gone. It was in a huge effort converted to AC during summer vacation time this year. This is also the reason for the placard on the train at 0:59, which reads ´last trips of Be 520´. These were DC only vehicles, which are scrapped now. The other ones are dual system vehicles, which could move the pantograph between the two positions. The series currently in delivery comes still as dual voltage train, because it would have been more expensive to remove the DC part and re-certify the vehicle for operation.
6:30 Luckily the elevated highway was never completed and it ends abruptly in Wiedikon. The original idea was to built three highways into the city centre and have them connect there (Zürcher Expressstrassen-Y). There’s even a short and never used section of a highway tunnel under the main station. That section will be turned into a cycling tunnel in the near future.
Yeah the ideas of the 50s and 60s for some mayor European cities were crazy. Also for Amsterdam. Everybody wanted to build city highways like the US. We were also on a path like the US to bulldoze our cities.
Now hardbrücke acts like a highway. Also being elevated. lol
In my home state of Saxony, Germany there are narrow gauge steam railways wich incorporated into the real transit network of Saxony. To see these historical trains having a real purpose is really cool, so it would be nice if you can do a video about it.
Are you referring to a line near Dresden? I've seen its terminus while on the train from and to Berlin a few years ago
@@LucaPasini2 yes thats one of the three
Well, tbh, the main purpose of these lines is attracting tourists and not serving as public transport for the people living along the line. There may be a pupil train on the Lößnitzdackel, but frequency and speed is rather low as the operation of steam engines demands more staff and time. If it was really wanted, one could surely transform these lines into modern Swiss-like narrow gauge commuter lines, but then, their historical character would have gone for sure. E.g. getting from Dresden city center to Dippoldiswalde is faster and more frequent by direct bus line 360 than taking S3 to Freital-Hainsberg and change to the steam train, where you even have extra tarifs. Some 20 years ago before the disastrous flood, the Hainsberg-Kipsdorf line had a 2 hour frequency with 2 train sets regularly operating, nowadays, it's normally only one train set that runs 3-4 back and forth the whole day.
The attempt on the Oschatz-Mügeln line by using former Austrian rail buses for the week day service is more modern public transport style, but only on a low level.
Unfortunately, except for some peripheric networks like the RNV that were integrated in the tram networks, most narrow gauge lines in Germany only have a historic and touristic purpose nowadays as modernisation mostly halted at the end of the 50s when typically individual motorization became also affordable in rural areas.
@@Schnaitheimer you are obviously completely right, but I'd find it nice if rmtransit would make a video about these because other than in the UK or US these narrow gauge railways at least pretend that they are public transport and in the Harz and on the Döllnitzbahn there are commuters who use them.
Do you have a link for this? I love steam trains and would love to test this one
This once again shows: If there is a will, there will be a rail line! And the swiss are absolute experts in creative solutions for any rail-related problem. If you have the chance to visit Switzerland, go for it! And you don't need a car, you can go anywhere by public transport! It is simply amazing!
The most unusual station I have found was "Aareschlucht Ost", which is a request stop inside a tunnel, but not the way you think. You wait outside the tunnel at the foot of a mountain and the train is inside the mountain in the tunnel. It has a door similar to an elevator door and when the small electric railcar arrives, there is a bell sounding and the door opens. The train will wait directly behind that door! So you enter the tunnel through the door and can get into the train. This is just awesome and very unique!
Greetings from Germany
Oh, my favorite train line of all train lines!
Some more facts:
The exit at Aareschlucht Ost (Aare river gorge east) can only be opened by the train driver. In a way, the "elevator door" works like a platform screen door.
Kirchet tunnel, where the latter stop is located inside, was used by the Swiss Army during WWII as a supply bunker.
Even weirder is the next station after that in the Meiringen-Innertkirchen line: Innertkirchen Unterwasser. I have seen no one exit on this station on videos here in UA-cam. This stop basically serves Kraftwerk Oberhasli (KWO) workers since adjacent to the station is the Innertkirchen 2 power station. Also it has the shortest ever platform length that I've seen in any Swiss staiton: it looks as if it's under 20 meters long (enough to fit one car of the Be 2/6 EMU).
The whole MIB line was meant actually as a work service for the employees of KWO; they actually owned and operated the line until 2021, when they sold it to Zentralbahn. ZB is now planning to have through trains running the line from Interlaken Ost; currently this is not possible because of the different voltages between ZB and MIB networks.
Both Aareschlucht stops serve the similarly-named tourist attraction, operated by KWO. Yes, a power station operates tourist enterprises (under the brand name "Grimselwelt"), of which the MIB was a part of.
Similar to the Schönbuchbahn, the last station (now called "Innertkirchen Kraftwerk") is connected to the workshop of MIB and main offices of KWO, its former owner.
Besides the Be 2/6 train that runs the line, MIB also sees cargo traffic from ZB, as upon the request of KWO, they deliver turbine parts and other pieces of heavy cargo to the Innertkirchen depot and power plant.
Meiringen was also served by a tram line that went between Meiringen station, the Alpbach stop, and the Reichenball falls funicular was its terminus, basically connecting the latter with the Aare gorge. Just beyond the Reichball falls funicular is a cable car that connects the town to upper valley villages of the Oberhasli up to Reuti.
And finally, Meiringen is a pilgrimage site for Sherlock Holmes fans: the Reichenbach falls was the location of the supposed murder of the beloved detective by Professor Moriarty, his arch-nemesis. Also - though disputed - Meiringen was where meringue was invented (the name supposed derived from the French pronunciation of the town's name).
Schönen Grüß aus der Philippinen :))
Correction on the last part: Sherlock was not murdered, but rather, he and Moriarty fought at the falls' ledge, resulting to them slipping into the falls and killing them.
Also: Meiringen has a Sherlock Holmes museum, and the old English church has a sculpture of the detective with his smoking pipe.
Having lived near the end of the S4 (Langnau-Gattikon) for most of my life, I can tell how astonishingly well-researched this video is. Your work deserves our financial support. Please keep making videos! Kind regards from Switzerland.
Thank you! I need to do more Swiss videos!
1:39 Yes, single tracks can works with high frequency service, even on metro lines! The metro line 1 of Lausanne (it's called metro but it looks more like a light-rail and metro hybrid) is entirely made of single tracks, except on most stations. And yet, the trains are able to run at a peak frequency of a train every 5 minutes! It could be even more frequent if it had double tracks on all platforms. The trade-off here is that the trains sometimes need to wait a little longer on some platforms and as a result are delayed of a few minutes.
The metro line 2, which is a proper subway line with similar rolling stock to Paris line 1, has a few sections of single track and is able to operate a 2.5 minutes headway! They could've built double tracks everywhere, but they feared that voters wouldn't approve the project since it would have increased the total cost. It was a state-wide vote so they thought that voters in rural areas would refuse the project since it would be too expensive and they would never use it as they live far from the city. Now they're fixing their mistake with the construction of a third subway line (similar to the line 2) in a few years. The city with its 140k inhabitants (and around 420k in the metro area) will have in total 2 subway lines with 19 stations (and the weird line 1, a new tram line, 3 new BRT lines)
I took this line for the first time a couple of weeks ago, as part of a short hiking trip in the Zürich area. I just love these little facts about the Üetlibergbahn. Like you said: it is everything; urban, suburban and one of those infamous mountain railways. And it is one the fastest nature escapes if you are at Zürich HB and feel the need to get away from those crowds.
Once you’re at the top, you can choose to get the train back downtown. But what’s even better is taking the hike back. And no matter which walking route you choose: at some point down the road, there is a frequent tram or (trolley)bus waiting for you to get you back to the centre. Gotta love Zürich’s connectivity perfection, even after a long walk.
It sounds very convenient for a spontaneous visitor. One can decide at any point if they want to change their plans and take the continue the journey up or down by foot or train!
@@TheEpicAppleEater01 Not exactly. If you start down on foot, you’re basically committed to ending the descent on foot, there’s no bailout option. (Caveat: I’ve never done it on the (much longer) paths on the same side of the mountain as the railway. The vastly more popular, lake-facing descent has no bailout options.) What the OP means is that every descent option ends at some kind of connection to public transit.
Rode this line back in 2019. One of the great excursions out of Zurich and totally worth it.
I've used these trains hundreds of times and I didn't know 95% of what you said in this video 😂 Now I appreciate it even more!
Organisation -> Electronics-> Concrete is one of the wisest things I’ve ever heard in transport
I think it has been "invented" in Zürich (if I remember correctly by Prof. Brändli at the ETH)
I'm so excited to finally see some content about Switzerland, really looking forward to seeing more.
I'd love to see more about SBB and maybe stuff in Lucerne.
Few suggestions:
-Rigibahn
-Lucerne trolley network
-various railway companies like BLS, Südostbahnen, die Zentralbahn, Thurbo
-Gütschbahn
-Lausanne Metro
-various tram systems in Switzerland
-SBB rolling stock
Der Gotthard sollte noch interessant sein mit den Spiraltunnel und der Kirche von Wassen. War gerade im Tessin, aber ich fuhr leider unten durch
Just took the rigi Bahn the other day. Really fun.
I hope that Canada will build passenger lines that go into national/provincial parks someday.
For sure! Especially Banff.
Isn't the Ontario Northland sort of like that?
A one seat rail service from Vancouver international airport to whistler would be cool, although I am aware that this is not going to happen any time soon. These bus transfers through downtown are absolutely annoying and take forever
First we need passenger line to better serve the cities. But VIA should look into it.
Well there is a bit, but not nearly enough!
That offset pantograph looks really cool
It is a great line to travel on and the Uetliberg is a fun destination too. The offset pantograph looks odd but is obviously a successful solution to the problem of two different power supplies on different sections of the route. I once read the comment that Switzerland is actually the worlds largest model railway! Having travelled extensively around the country by train, I tend to agree and as this route proves anything is possible on Switzerland's railways. A beautiful country, friendly people, great food and, of course, plenty of interesting railways to ride!
I discovered this line completely by accident in 2012. I had just arrived in Zurich and a member of staff at my hostel recommended going up there for a hike. This was a great suggestion, and as a bonus spent most of the day photographing trains on the mountain section!
If there's one thing I'll remember Switzerland by, it's their abundance of unique railway lines. Zurich S10 is no exception; indeed I can't believe that a line running up to a rural mountain area also runs right into the city centre.
Absolutely loved the Video! And the content on Switzerland! Keep the great work up :)
Thank you! Will do!
One thing that is actually quite popular to do is to hike up Uetliberg and take the train back to Zurich. It’s a fairly nice hike that gets very busy in the summertime.
Tipp: Mit der S10 auf den Uetliberg fahren, danach nach Felsenegg wandern und von dort mit der Luftseilbahn ins Tal. Von dort ist der S4 zurück nach Zürich Hauptbahnhof
CE 6/8 II on the shelf, one of the most beautiful Locomotive ever made
Small correction about the single/double track map at 2:28. The map shows double track between the crossing of the Sihl river and the central station. There are indeed two parallel tracks there. But the S10 is not running on both: only one is for the S10, the other for the S4. So most of it should be black, too. Trains can pass each other at one spot, in the tunnel between Selnau and the main station.
"I spend too much time on Twitter, but it's often worth it" words I never thought someone would say
The swiss did something similar to this in Geneva where trolleybuses and trams run on the same corridors in places. in the situations where they do. the trolleybus wires are offset to the side and the regular overhead wire runs in the center.. since the trolleypole mechanism allows for misalignment because busses do not run on rails.
This is also the case in Zurich and perhaps elsewhere as well. In Zurich, one of the trolleybus lines even has a level crossing with the S10 at Friesenberg (with the wires crossing), although I don't know how they'll handle this with the S10's switch to AC.
Two wires is so obviously simple! There's a touch of the apocryphal space pen vs space pencil in that that thinking!
That's a beautiful comparison haha
Greetings from Zurich. The S10 is my line and I learn so much from your video. Well done and thank you 🙏
Karlsruhe, Germany, has trams that are AC/DC. Same pantograph! This means that they can (and do) use DB electrified tracks. They also go up steep inclines.
빨간 기차가 너무 예쁘네요. 예전에 스위스에 여행 갔을 때 산악열차를 탔는데 가격은 비쌌지만 아름다운 스위스의 자연을 볼 수 있어서 좋았습니다. 다시 스위스에 여행을 가보고 싶네요~
Great video! A similar system but on a much bigger scale is the Räthische Bahn in the canton of Graubünden, also in Switzerland. It serves the whole canton, which is located entirely in the alps and is considerably less accessible by car (there are Trains for cars too). The trains run on mostly single track too and it is on a small gauge. The landscape around it is stunning and some in part of the Unesco world heritage. Also really cool
In Graubünden right now. I’ve been really impressed by the Rhb. Especially how many trains they run on such crazy dingle track lines like the bernina and abula lines
single:)
The transition to a single electrical system was actually done because some of the electrical components where at the end of their service life, so with them needing replacement anyway it was decided to put an end to the dual system.
This reminds me of the Keihan Keishin Line (京阪京津線) in Kyoto, Japan. It's partly underground, partly a mountain railway, and partly a tram? as in, runs in the middle of the road. The cars are specially designed and said to be as expensive as a Shinkansen car.
The Uetlibergbahn is an interesting line, but the Stoosbahn near Schwyz is even more unusual.
The different camera angle is *chef’s kiss*
In India the suburban system around Mumbai was DC while rest of India uses 25kv AC till recently. To deal with intercompatibility we had WCAM series locomotives which ran using both DC &AC power using different pantographs.
Immediately subscribed after you casually talked about the HB station for this line being part of the discarded Zurich subway system.
This is something that is not known by even a lot of Zürcher.
I look forward to your contributions, I totally agree with your conclusions as well.
Ah, yes Switzerland - Where the asphalt on the ground may very well be cleaner than your bedsheets.
yes I've been waiting for Zurich for so long! Thanks, much appreciated!!
Oh I'd love a train to some of the big parks we have here in Canada. I'd actually be able to go to them!
We have a few, but not nearly enough and with far too little service
Our old railways used to have park lines, to Algonquin, Banff, Jasper, with people staying in large resorts. But only the last two parks still have these resorts I believe.
@@longbranchmike7846 and @RMTransit I think shuttle buses exist some places as well, but I don't know how much they run (Summer weekends only is great... if you don't work on the weekends...).
My greatest transit dream is a line running through Algonquin parallel to Highway 60, branching off the Northlander in Huntsville and then continuing onto Arnprior and the National Capital Region. At the same time, I would have Ontario parks build a series of resorts and cabins on the heavily visited lakes along the route, like Smoke lake, Lake of two rivers, and Canoe Lake. This would allow the park to avoid building parking and maintain more environment, while building a very large and accessible user base. At the same time, it would provide connections to Ottawa for several near by communities, and increase connection to several cottage tourism centers like Huntsville for day trips.
Speaking of rack railways… A video on how rack railways can be useful in urban environments would be really cool! Notable examples are the Zahnradbahn in Stuttgart, the Fogaskerekű in Budapest, the Tranvia di Opicina in Trieste, Italy, and that one metro line in France that has a really steep grade!
Great video, looking forward to your s-bahn Zurich explained documentary. Keep it up👍🏼
I'm excited for it too!
Great video! The Line S10 has now switched to DC and therefore is compatible with the S4 and all the resto of SBB network. The service is now up and running again.
In my several trips to Switzerland I have always had the rail pass--never rented a car. I love getting to even the smallest village by rail, bus or boat. The fact that the pass includes going across many of their wonderful lakes on their steamers while sipping an espresso and looking out at the mountains--how do you beat that!? When I look at their infrastructure I know what a couple hundred years of peace looks like while my own country prioritizes blowing up distant lands and ignoring infrastructure at home. Pitiful really....
Amazing what can be done with a little 'out-of-the-box' thinking. Well done for covering this so well!👍
I much prefer the "let it decay well beyond its useful life before lots of nonsensical talk before pour way too much concrete before how are we going to make this mess work?" mantra we have in Chicago. I present to you Block 37 and the Hyperloop to O'Hare.
Not good! In all seriousness though it's definitely way less efficient
I still can’t believe that actually happened. Over $100 million for a useless hole in the ground. Nothing else was ever built for the express train to the airport project.
The Hyperloop was a later idea, by about 10 years, to use the already built hole for the downtown station. Nothing has come of that either.
@@rapjul Yeah, that was kind of my point. Chicago realized way too late that the Blue Line wasn't sufficient for the airport link demand (and it won't get any better when the new airport expansion work is completed). Then they built a bunch of stuff, and couldn't figure out what to actually do with it. Then they picked the most hair-brained idea to try to make use of that existing debacle, negating anything actually practical, and now here we are. What sums it up perfectly is there's even a disused tunnel between Block 37 and the Red Line that literally ends in a door on the side of the tracks next to the third rail, between Lake and Monroe stains, in the abandoned section of that decrepit subway. That's just one example of the many that the CTA has screwed up using flawed logic and processes.
Although I never had opportunity to travel on the line, whenever I passed through Zurich main station on holiday I usually went downstairs to observe this curiosity.
A few years ago I stopped in Zurich for 2 nights in the Uetliberg hotel which is on top of the mountain. In something that would shock and appall many Americans, the hotel has no car access. None at all. The exception being a small fleet of electric cars and vans owned by the hotel that take luggage and visitors unable to walk from the S-10 terminus to the hotel. To get to and from the hotel you therefore take the S10, and in most cases walk between the hotel and the station (about 10mins). Also interestingly, the path from the station to the hotel is part of the "Planet Weg" model solar system walk. The Sun is near the station, and the turn off to the hotel is between Earth and Mars. During my stay I walked beyond Jupiter, but that was a long way in the summer heat, and I decided to turn back before reaching Saturn. On a later visit to Zurich I travelled to the far end of the S4, where a cable car takes you into the hills, and a about half an hour walk takes you to the far end of the Planet Weg, Pluto (still a planet when it was done) and Neptune (actually 3 plutos showing it at furthers, closest and average distance from the sun).
On this second trip I stopped in the same hotel, this time for 3 nights. Slightly unfortunately the S10 was actually closed for engineering work, and getting to the hotel required getting a tram, then two buses. It also highlighted why the hotel is car free, the road is narrow, single track and gravelled, barely suitable for the bus to get up. Still though, with Swiss punctuality, despite having to change twice the trip was pretty smooth.
Also regarding the gradient, the S10 is actually the steepest standard gauge heavy rail adhesion line in the world. Other steeper adhesion lines are either narrow gauge, light rail or both.
Thanks for this video! I've traveled many a times on S4 and did trips on S10 up the mountain. Apart from the overhead power lines (AC / DC), what's also amazing is that the SZU can run trains on S4 and S10 on 10 minute intervals during rush hour on the outer sections which are mostly single track! And they are mostly on time!
The problem during rush hour though is that inbound and outbound S10 trains then need to cross each other at Zelnau, which causes delays for the S4 trains, and becomes a real bottleneck for the S4 service. That is the major reason why S10 will now be upgraded to AC power, the same power as that S4 has.
But amazing how the SZU does this with moveable pantographs on the new S10 trains! It shows that if you plan transit really well, you can overcome most problems.
Thanks for showing. When I have time in Zürich I often take a look in the SZU station. I have also taken the Uetlibergbahn to Triemli and back but I have never been on the Uetliberg (the fares get considerably more expensive if you go up the mountain).
Note that the line has been converted to AC about a year ago. It no longer has the double pantographs.
Wow. Very interresiting. I never thought such an alignment could work. I have been to Zürich once, but I didn't knew about it. So fascinating.
For transit nerds visiting Zürich, I can also recomend the Dolderbahn. A small funicular, operating like an elevator, that takes you to another great view of the city.
btw the Dolderbahn isn't a funicular but a rack railway, Polybahn is a funicular though.
@@RTSRafnex2 Oh your right. I mistook them.
I was thinking about the Rigiblickbahn.
That would be the funicular that is operated like an elevator.
But yeah, you are right. Dolderbahn is a rack railway.
@@OnkelJajusBahn look, I completely forgot about the Rigiblick funicular myself. :D
the Üetlibergbahn is actually what made me fall in love with trains as a toddler 🚃 love to see you covering this!
Always nice to have a special connection to transit like this! Even better that it's such a cool line!
The S10 is currently being converted to the S4 AC power system. That's why the line is currently closed for 2 months. The main reason is not only easier operations, but also the planned increase in service frequency.
Fun new dynamic camera angles.
Thanks! So happy you noticed!
This line has now been converted to 15 KV AC. The catenary on the Uetliberg section has been totally replaced. The off set pantographs and the older trains are no more.
I don't think I can imagine a metro line that literally transports people up a goddamn mountain from the central station like it's nothing unusual.
Since the end of August 2022, there is no longer a lateral overhead contact line. This was removed and replaced by a normal AC 15kV 16.7 Hz overhead line to ensure interoperability.
The strange part about the off-center pantographs is that the supports that hold them onto the roof stick out significantly beyond what would seem to be the normal loading gauge of the cars -- must be that the cars were a model built for smaller clearances, but then they ended up being used in bigger tunnels than what they were designed for.
A thing you missed: S10 crosses trolley bus line 32 at Friesenberg station. On the 2021 street view images the crossing looks rather unspectacular, and like any other tram-trolley crossing in the city. However, with the AC upgrade of the S10 line the crossing looks now quite different as you have 15kV AC meeting 600 V DC.
You should do a video on the Seetalbahn! It's a very interesting railway that runs alongside a rural road and is this weird tram-train that uses regular heavy rail stock, though designed at a smaller loading gauge
Oi, this is the weirdest electrification contraption I've seen, happy I watched
Travelled on it a few days back, Its an amazing line with the endpoint very close to the Summit of Uetilberg, from where you can see the entire city of Zurich.
Ottawa's original O-Train, the Trillium Line, has several sections which are single-track and these are being retained in the extension now under construction
Late september/Early October 2021 I visited Zurich and took the S10 to Uetliberg. At that time the end of the line was Treimli, if I remember correctly, as the rest of the line was closed for work. From where I was staying, I caught a tram to a bus station, then bus to Treimli to get on the train. Great ride up and the views from the top of Uetliberg are amazing
Great video, cool railway. I also love how you are experimenting with different camera angles.
Thanks! I want to continue making videos better!
It’s a neat trick to cover up cuts!
Hey ! A transit explain about Lyon Métro and tramway would be really intresting :)
Thank you for making a video about one the most intriguing railways in my country
The Stadler Trains of the Uetlibergbahn were built in 2013 and 2022. Both Series are exacly the same, it was faster and cheapter to make a 1:1 rebuild and get the green lights of the Administration than build new Type if train just for the converted Uetlibergbahn. The convertion should be finished on the end of August.
So I've heard, while it will be less unique more service is good!
Before the Stadler Trains were in Service the old Trains were with two Be 4/4 Railcars and inbetween them an B with wheelchaire entrance in Service with the inteoduction of the first Stadler Trains the old Trains were prolong with an additional Be 4/4 or B.
Ins crossing have also Trolleybuswires
One of my favourite lines - even though I only regularly use the most conventional part (Selnau to Zürich HB).
One thing to add is, that at the stop „Friesenberg“ there is a level-crossing with the trolleybus line 32.
But I don‘t know how common or how rare trolleybus/electified rail crossings are in the global picture
How does that work?
@@runeodin7237 I don‘t know the technical details, sorry. I just know this crossing exists, since my grandparents live near the terminal of linie 32, witch is 4 stations from that crossing
@@marcor815 it will become much more complicated when S10 is AC!
@@runeodin7237 "like a tram - trolleybus crossing"… The trolleybus wires go through, but the actual crossing section is insulated. The rail power line has guide bars, pressing the pantograph down. But this section is also insulated. With the conversion to AC, it is essentially the same, just with bigger insulators. (FWIW, I am a bit surprised that they do keep the crossing, because any trolleybus has sufficient battery capacity to cross off-wire to the next stop.)
@@maxwyss7447 According to ZVV the VBZ don’t have enough trolleybusses which could drive using battery power, though they are planning to replace the older Hess busses after 2023/24.
Im Rahmen der Planung der SZU-Sanierung wurde geprüft, ob die Linie 32 in diesem Abschnitt ohne Draht fahren kann. Dies ist nicht möglich, weil auf der Linie 32 hauptsächlich Trolleybusse ohne Batterie fahren und das verbaute Notfallaggregat im Regelbetrieb nicht sinnvoll einsetzbar ist. Nicht die gesamte Trolleybusflotte ist mit Batterien ausgestattet. Batterietrolleybusse werden auf denjenigen Linien eingesetzt, die nicht durchgängig aber abschnittsweise mit Fahrdraht ausgestattet sind und daher mit dieser Technologie besonders effizient elektrifiziert werden können.
Ayo, somthing from my home-canton. There is a neat hike going from the Uetliberg to the felsenegg, called the Planetenweg, which teaches kids about the solar system and the scales involved in it. Can't wait for the Zürich S-Bahn video to come out
If you're doing more Switzerland content, could you do a video on the clock face timetabling they use? It makes transfers in the country so easy
The SZU is probably one of my most favourite Railways in Switzerland, along with the SOB. They recently retired their older Be 520s and theyre currently in the old station of Sihlbrugg.
Nice video. Consider it as a farewell to the old Uetlibergbahn.
In the UK a fairly unconventional train service is used on the 1.3km Stourbridge Branch in the West Midland region of UK. It uses two small minibus-sized Class 139 Parry People Movers, a flywheel energy storage coach unit which is powered by a horizontal flywheel below the floor, brought up to speed by a small LPG engine, and also recycling braking energy, with a simple clutch applying power to the wheels and supplying power for the electrical systems. It's been a great success, tripling traffic in recent years, and may be used in the future on an extended service over tram tracks into the town centre.
Could we all just agree, we all want SBB to manage all our railways, with Switzerland-level funding!
Haha yeah that's the issue, you need the infrastructure too
Nein, in der Schweiz gibt es auch andere tolle Bahnunternehmen. Wie eben die SZU, die die S4 und S10 in Zürich betreibt. Aber auch für einige Buslinien verantwortlich ist (sie fährt sie nicht, macht aber die Fahrpläne und verhandelt mit den Gemeinden über das Angebot)
Extremely interesting video of the Uetlibergbahn!
Thanks Tuukka!
Ja, meine Grosseltern wohnen in der Region und da ist die Fahrt mit dem Tram rauf, einem kleinen Besuch und dann mit der S10 zurück eine Reise wert. Die neue Züge sind richtig toll, wobei einiges aus den alten Zügen übernommen wurde
I have used this line before. Great experience.
Another interesting unconventional network is the Karlsruhe Tram, which uses on mainline tracks for some of it’s route and even boards passengers on the same platforms ICE and TGV high speed trains also use.
7:40 - There are mountain rail lines in Switzerland that go to places you can otherwise only access by a _very_ lightly loaded helicopter.
Americans: But iT's imPOSSibLE!! Swiss: Halte mein Bier!
Swiss:
Heb mis bi'er
tiens ma bière
tieni la mia birra
I rode the S10 just a few days ago while in Zürich and can tell that it felt quite a bit like Oslo's subway going up to Holmenkollen. From what I saw it was mostly tourists that used it but also a few locals that lived along the line. From my point of view as a tourist it was quite a pleasant ride but for a Zürcher it's probably not too convenient unless they want to go hiking near Uetliberg.
In the meantime everything has been rebuilt and everyone uses 15000v AC, so that the bottleneck in Zurich main station has been solved
1:24 - In southern New Jersey, the RiverLine and the Atlantic City line run on a lot of single-track and passing tracks.
Do note that the line was converted to AC power about a yer ago. The trains there don't run on DC power anymore and the iconic orange rolling stock of the line was sent to be scrapped because there was no use for it anymore
Hey, I live in Zurich & they are currently rebuilding the S10 to use a centered power line - and as far as I know they are converting them to AC
More railway lines should be 4 track or more. Allows fast and slow trains together and makes it easier for freight and passenger rail to coexist.
Thank you so much fot this video.
I think I have a other fun fact about this line for you. At the station Friesenberg is a level crossing with the city trolleybus network with a switchable catenary, because of the different tension 600V AC at the trolleybus and 1200V DC at the railway line. This crossing I think will be also more interessting after the reelectrification of the S10 line with 15 kV AC this year.
Greatings
Marco