Video idea: THE BIGGEST difference between Switzerland and other nations, imo, is the complete ticket integration in the whole country. Having to worry about your ticket being valid on Train A, but not valid on Train B is really annoying. Not to mention trams, buses and long distance trains (that may require even a reservation). Do you need to go from A to B? There's just ONE ticket. Need to do that regularly? Just ONE abo. Valid on EVERYTHING. It's as easy as that.
The Netherlands does the same. Just get an OV card and you can take everything from trains to buses to even ferries country-wide. The only exception I've seen is crosscountry transit like the ICE or Thalys. It's not exactly a ticket but no one uses tickets. Can't even get tickets for buses anymore(though you can often pay directly with debit)
Austria finally introduced a similar ticket last year, which is valid on all public transport in the country. And with only 3€ per day it's even a lot cheaper then the Swiss "Generalabonnement".
@@FortuneZer0 I was talking about the Austrian all-network "Klimaticket", which is only €1095 per year (and currently you even get a 13-month validity for that). CHF3860 for the Swiss "Generalabonnement" might seem expensive, but the prices in Switzerland are generally higher than in the rest of Europe. And measured by the _excellent_ service it's actually worth it in many cases (hence why over 400,000 Swiss own one). A car will set you back quite a bit more.
Small correction: No train in Switzerland requires reservation. You hop on, find a seat and get out at your destination. You might want to reserve a seat if you're on a train that heads for Paris, Milan, Vienna or Munich for example. But as long as you stay within the country, just make sure that the seat is not reserved for that part of your journey.
Make sure that you do not sit in first class unless you have a first class ticket. You will be asked to move to second class regardless of how empty the first class section might be. And do no be rude, otherwise they reserve the right to charge you a fine right on the spot for having an improper ticket. Other than that, it's like what was said above, no need to worry about changing trains.....as long as your ticket states your destination and you haven't gone past it, or you have a general or time use abonnement.
Trains in Germany also never require a reservation. You can make a reservation if you want to make sure you get a seat, but you don't have to. The only exception is overnight trains. So feel free to shoot to Munich without one next time.
Zurich guy here. Fantastic accuracy and nuance! Please do also Zurich Tram/Bus/Funi/Boats episode (am sure this is anyway in the planning). Waiting for more episodes from around the world :-)
@@RMTransit As an American who lived in Zurich as a kid I would love to see more about the varied Zurich transit system. What I find interesting after watching your other videos and living there is how Zurich manages without a traditional Metro. While living there I regularly took the tram through the tunnel that had been built for the proposed U bahn.
Perhaps particularly relevant in exploring how North American systems that are unable/unwilling to build a metro could still provide good transit service.
Used the zürich s Bahn during the street parade a almost 1 million people techno party, trains and train stations where overcrowded nevertheless the schedule was on point no delay whatsoever, unbelievable
Actually at 3'000 trains a day Zurich HB is the *world's busiest railway station* in terms of train movements. There are 50 stations in Europe, Asia and North America that handle more passengers a day than Zurich does, but none of them come close to 3'000 movements a day.
@@Micha-ng7yp Absolutely. Even though Zurich HB is ranked 51st in the world in terms of passenger throughput - Tokyo's Shinjunku serves almost 10 times more (3.5 million a day) with fewer trains. Same holds for Europe's busiest: Gare du Nord in Paris with almost twice as many passengers and again fewer trains. Paris is followed, in order, by Hamburg, Frankfurt and Zurich. The reason lies in Switzerland's strict adherence to the "Clock Face Time Table" (Taktfahrplan) which means that there is minimal reduction in the number of train movements every hour - even during the most extreme off-peak hours a core set of trains keep moving at the hourly rhythm prescribed by the _Taktfahrplan_ concept.
The development of the S-Bahn in Zürich in the last 30 years combined with the rest of the public transport system (Trams, busses, cable cars, etc) has led to an increase in young people with no driver's license. It's just so easy and convenient to use public transport and a bike that there's literally no dependency on cars.
people in Zurich and wintherthur will follow 4 categories 1 the one you name in your coment witch some are also chossing the train because envoirment 2 the rich in porsches,ferraris,lambos,mc larens 3 the people in plumping ,painter ,,,etc jobs in company car 4 a combination of people that fell they need a car or have a station wagon suv for family im from Bern and i will say here whe have more of the category 1 and 3 and 4.
@@steveee2511 Although you see a lot of expensive cars in Switzerland, most rich genuine swiss people don't really flaunt their wealth. It's considered very bad taste and an indiscretion, same with talking about salaries or calling people after 6pm.
I lived in Switzerland between 2008 and 2016...I would never rely on that though tbh I rarely did any journeys requiring rail connections but used to regularly do St Prex to Lausanne and a bus to northern Lausanne. This is where Switzerland really shines as you should expect rail services to be integrated but it also applies to bus services
To me, one of the most amazing feats is that none of this existed when I lived in Zurich 1986-1988. California can barely get one tunnel dug in 35 years; Switzerland can bore through itself like a chunk of Emmentaller.
it used to be good before but a bit less coordinated and frequent. The original S-Bahn started operating in May 1990 and was continuously improved and extended since. The next larger extensions are planned for 2035.
I regularly drive freight trains from Chur through to the Northwest cities via Pfäffikon and Zurich. It amazes me still that there is even capacity for freight between all these S-Bahn trains, however it is always the most frustrating part of the journey. You are continuously running up on the S ahead of you while the next is bearing down on you. This results in extended waiting times on sidings until the Takt can fit the freight train again. Great video!
Do you know the rough Trucking to train freight ratio in Switzerland? One one hand I know its not a huge resource exporting country, so I assume its not so much. On the other it's a lot of mountain so the cost of trucking is probably higher? Idk.
@@neolithictransitrevolution427 I was looking up some statistics of the swiss government. Inland transport had a 63/37 percent split in 2020, with 67 percent of freight being transported on trucks. However, thanks to completion of the Lötschberg and Gotthard Base Tunnels since 2000 there has been a huge increase of international freight rail traffic, going from Belgium and the Netherlands to Italy. On these corridors the split was 28/72 percent in favor of rail in 2020! Even so, in terms of capacity there is much room for improvement. This depens on wether Germany can get their sh*t together and bring their network and freight corridor up to the standards that were agreed on over two decades ago.
Hello colleague! Just ask the BZ Ost if you can leave the train and what time they plan to let you go. So you can go to the nearest Kiosk/Avec and enjoy a coffee in peace sitting on a bench ;-) just be on your train about 5 minutes before departure time and simply announce yourself "Fahrbereit"
@@neolithictransitrevolution427 we are a landlocked country, in the middle of europe?^^ In 2021 it was roughly 68 Tons, thats around 38% of all freight.
Great video!! I recently moved to Thalwil, a town in lake Zurich. It’s amazing seeing trains depart to the city every 10 minutes from such a small town (20’000 residents). Even some Inter-Regio trains stop here, taking you to other cities like Zug, Chur and Luzern. Really shocking for someone who grew up in a country with basically no trains.
This is very true. Swiss make it easy for those who do not have cars to get around. I feel like public transit nearly goes everywhere…Even in less densely populated areas. What an awesome feeling that if you don’t have a car or Uber..you can still get around.
im a driver on a brand new light rail opening up in Zurich Altstetten in mid December this year (Line 20, currently we are testing the route) called Limmattalbahn. its awesome you mentioned ZVV and its way of connecting S-bahns with passenger distribution lines like our light rail. it allows for very efficient travel from home to work without long wait times at stations waiting for a connecting train
Fun fact: The first train departing from the newly opened airport train station Zurich in 1980 was the one with the Queen herself visiting Switzerland.
@@michaelrmurphy2734 That would be nice and an opportunity for future model railway companies to produce a commemorative version (viz, Hornby's Winston Churchill edition) but alas not. The late queen's remains have this day been taken from her scottish summer residence of Balmoral to lie in state in her Edinburgh home, Hollyrood House. In two days, her mortal remains will be taken by aeroplane to RAF Northolt NW London and thence by hearse to lie in state in the near thousand-year-old Westminster Old Hall at the Houses of Parliament.
The reason for the S24 to take its unique route out of HB is to maintain service to Wipkingen station, which lost most of its S-Bahn service when the central tunnel opened. Prior to that, all the west bank of ZRH services (S2, S8 etc) would flow through Wipkingen too
I used to live in Switzerland and visited Zurich it's the only place I got any kind of city vibe, other places just felt like large or medium sized towns
Thanks Reece. Writing as a fairly regular visitor to Zurich, I can say you cover pretty well everything of importance. I would add one point about ticketing. Zurich Verkehrsverbund tickets ARE VALID on inter-city and inter-regio trains. This is important for people travelling on the Winterthur-Flughafen-Oerlikon-Hauptbahnhof corridor. (In Germany Verkehrsverbund tickets are usually not valid on intercity trains.)
Switzerland is as a whole a Verkehrsverbund. Doesn't matter which app or machine or how many different buses, trains or trams you need, you can get a single ticket between any two stations.
@@whytecold Yes it is a full integrated ticketing system, so if you by a Ticket from A to B it will be valid on any kind of train that travels that route in the given class. But if you buy a specific ticket for lets say ZVV, A-Welle or Libero, it will only be valid within that Verbund or the part of the Verbund it is valid in. And actually, under the hood it is a super complicated system of negotiations between many different Verkehrsverbünden, Kantons, EVUs,....
I study in Zurich so I have to use the trains. This video shows how complicated it is. I never have to think about this. I just use the app from the Swiss national traincervice (SBB) and it shows me on which platform I have to go.
Love the Swiss transport system in general, on time, connects, and simple integrated ticket system. Use it all the time when i am in CH. Use the S Bahn almost daily. Just a brilliant system.
Proud daily user of Zürich's public transport network here - incredibly well done research and video! Your level of understanding of this network is absolutely impressive and despite having taken most of these lines many times, I got to learn a few things. Bravo!
Great video, as always! I really enjoyed it, especially having grown up in Zürich. One feature worth mentioning that is perhaps unique to the S-Bahn Zürich, is that during the winter months the S2 is extended to a ski resort. The train terminates at Unterterzen Station that connects to a cable car taking skiers straight to the slopes.
Yeah man true, didn't think of that. I live on the s2/s8 line down at the lake. I can take the S2 directly into the city (either Enge, Wiedikon, HB or even north to Oerlikon), every now and then to the airport or go the other way to Flums. Man, you don't really appreciate how amazing that is, but we should... Having said that, those trains are PACKED. Feels like in Tokyo where the attendants push and shove you in. But here your fellow passengers are smelly stinky sweaty skiers with tons of equipment. A pleasure it is not, that's for sure.
@@michaelrmurphy2734 "Bahn" actually means "path" and in terms of roads, it's only used in "Einbahnstraße" (one-way street) and "Autobahn" (motorway) and instead is more often associated with railways ("Eisenbahn" in German). So when something bears the name "-bahn", it typically refers to rail transportation including S-Bahn ("Stadtschnellbahn", a hybrid of rapid transit and suburban trains) and U-Bahn ("Untergrundbahn" which normally is a traditional rapid transit / metro system).
@@michaelrmurphy2734 'Bahn' is perhaps best translated as 'way' - certainly not 'road'. However when a German-speaker uses the word 'Bahn' they usually mean a railway. For 'road' they would usually use the word 'Strasse', German has no separate words distinguishing 'street' from 'road'.
@@MarioFanGamer659 Oh, thank you Mario! Now I know. I though U-Bahn might mean underground or subway. And S-Bahn was street railway or something. And autobahn? Well, Kraftwerk made that famous!
Great Video! I'm living in Zurich and I have to state its' all working so smooth despite its intricate design. It gets even more complicated when you think about the integration of the S-Bahn with all the other Intercity and Regional Express Trains! One major upgrade in the vein of the Weinberg-tunnel was the construction of two flyover-bridges towards the west, allowing the Intercity-Trains coming from Bern or Basel to actually access the Weinberg-tunnel platfroms, connecting other cities straight to the airport (its called the Durchmesserlinie).
That was lot to take in :) Fascinating thing with S-bahn system in Switzerland is that on many S-bahn "end stations" there is another S-bahn system connecting from another region. You more or less can travel through the whole of Switzerland only using S-bahn :)
To be precise, the only place that is not accessible in the way you describe is the canton of Ticino because you have to go through the Gotthard base tunnel
Growing up in Switzerland I have to admit I'm a spoiled kid when it comes to transportation! Man, the number of times I visited other countries and got frustrated because trains and busses were "late" and with bad connections, when for locals it's completely normal and just doable. 5min delay for me is already too much sigh...
Bridging the gap between the car and the platform is such an important and wonderful feature, not in the least because it makes rail service accessible for people who use wheelchairs. Imagine trying to use a wheelchair to get onto a bus or onto a train or tram that lacks that bridge feature, that doesn't sound like a good time to me at all. I have a friend very near and dear to my heart who requires a wheelchair due to a spinal injury, and living in car-dependent suburban US is not easy for him, even living with his parents. There are so many reasons why I wish my locale would finally step up our public transit game; thinking about my friend and how immobilized he is at home is a pretty big reason.
I honestly didn‘t even realize this wasn‘t standard in other countries. Though I guess this explains the whole Bombardier rolling stock delay, since SBB had to reject the first few trains and Bombardier had to retrofit them with some accessibility features. We have some pretty strict laws in that regard and a few NGOs representing disabled people that directly work with SBB to make it easier for them to use public transportation. Also quite often if SBB doesn‘t want to meet their demands, they sue and the court usually decide in their favor and force SBB to implement the demands. Personally I think public transit that isn‘t actually accessible isn‘t really public at all, so I (and the majority of the public) is also usually on the disability activists side, even if it means spending some additional money (usually it isn‘t even all that much).
Well, that's not really how it goes here, if everyone rolled up to the station in their car this wouldn't work at all. People connect to the train stations via bus, walking or bike. Although I get it in such a case. Your friend should move to Zürich city. Trams are borderless as well so he could go by tram within the city and outside by trains, by himself. By law, all Swiss train stations have to be converted for borderless access (as do all public buildings btw) by the end of 2022, although some are a little behind, but we'll get there.
And it isnt just amazing for those with a disability but also much easier for elderly people, mothers with strollers or travelers with have luggage profit from the feature. (Also swiss soldier appreciate it the enormous bags for the military equipment hav a pair of wheels)
In Switzerland on the bus and trams there is a foldout ramp and if somebody with a wheelchair is waiting the driver will come out and help you in. This sometimes delays buses but everybody understand that this is the right thing to do.
Every time I hear about the underground throughrunning platforms of Zürich HB, it annoys me that Stuttgart 21 doesn't do the same. Instead of augmenting the existing terminating tracks above like in Zürich, they plan to replace them. It's pretty obvious that the eight underground platforms will be a major bottleneck in Stuttgart, and the new station isn't even finished. If they kept the terminating tracks above, the new throughrunning tracks wouldn't need to be so overloaded. However, ripping out the tracks and promising to build housing in their place seemed to be a more attractive option.
Zürich HB has only 8 underground tracks and it’s plenty on tracks without buffers there is no long waiting times for the train driver to switch ends and the underground platforms in Zürich are sometimes used to reverse trains
@@nashorn9745 But Zürich HB has those underground tracks in addition to 16 tracks on ground level. Stuttgart Hbf will only have 8 tracks in total once Stuttgart 21 is complete.
I really enjoyed this video. I live in Basel, Switzerland, but travel frequently to, through, and within Zürich and loved this discussion. Although the Zürich system is big and quite impressive, I think the Basel system is better. In Basel you can take the tram to France OR Germany. The Basel infrastructure and rolling stock are more comfortable and super convenient. As regards topics for future analysis and presentation, you could really pick any of the major Swiss regional operators and discuss their systems. I love all the trains/trams/buses/ferries/funiculars in Switzerland, but I particularly enjoy riding the Rhätische Bahn. I also second the topic another viewer mentioned: ticketing integration. This is two-way integration: buying and riding. Everything is seamless and invisible, although there are numerous operators. Bravo. Another stellar video.
I was in Zurich last year and it low-key blew my mind that the end platform at Hbf was only separated from the road by a few bollards in some places - no walls, no ticket gates, no change of height other than a small step. Sure, some small stations can have informal arrangements like that, but a city's main rail hub? Crazy!
This is an extremely important point. The S-Bahn not only gets people into Zurich. It provides numerous ways in which Zurich residents can get out into the beautiful countryside. And that includes hikers, skiers and mountainbikers!
Zürich Hauptbahnhof might be confusing at first with its different levels, but it's actually well connected with good signage and relatively short ways between trains, making it useful as an exchange station. In recent years the western pedestrian tunnel has been enlarged and connected to the underground tracks (except SZU) which doesn't require all passengers to walk around the buffer stop. A huge advantage compared to München Hbf which doesn't have such a pedestrian tunnel, resulting in extremely long ways (in some cases you need 10 to 15 minutes from a track on the north end to one on the south end of the station).
Tobias' point is of fundamental importance. This pedestrian tunnel about 180 metres from the buffer stops is very heavily used by passengers changing trains. Many German dead-end Haupbahnhofs (eg Munchen/Munich and Frankfurt) desperately need a similar tunnel. And the signage at all German Hauptbahnhofs (but especially Berlin, Hamburg and Munchen/Munich) needs to be vastly improved.
Nah I think the whole station is built extremely well, the only confusing part for me, is when ariving at the rather newly opened platforms 31-34, you need to exit the platform at one end, if you want to connect onto the s4/s10. But thats being specific, and most people that comute through HB will learn that quickly.
absolutely fantastic video. as someone living in zurich it was absolutely astonishing seeing you map out every last detail from top to bottom. Great mix between details and a macro view on the topic.
Really fascinating network. That picture at the beginning of this episode was awesome with the sloped train going through that building. Apparantly this is the Polybahn.
Finally a video about the network I use daily. You did cover the S-Bahn network very nicely, but you could have lost a few more words about the transit organisation(ZVV), if there isn‘t an other video planed about it. Because it isn‘t just unifying the different train operators, but also the trams, busses and boats. The ZVV does planing of intermodal conections as well as the fare system. So that you can use the same ticket for boat, bus tram and train no matter what company operates it.
@@LeZylox he mentioned it, but that severely understates how much of a difference it makes to have an integrated proof of payment ticketing system that means your trip length is exactly travel time plus walking distance plus if necessary one minute at the first ticket machine at one price no matter what combination of transport you want to take… it might not seem like that much, but going from the integrated system to anywhere else takes away a big layer of felt freedom and requires just that one level of attention that just about doubles or triples the level of thought and attention required to travel
13:09 The discussion about which trains and train networks deserve to be called S-Bahn, and what makes a proper S-Bahn are probably as old as the term S-Bahn in the german-speaking transit world. There are purists who only consider the metro-like Berlin S-Bahn to be a proper S-Bahn (as the term was first coined there), but I'd argue if the term is now used for way different systems, then maybe the Berlin metro-like system is the one who doesn't really fit the term. But on other networks, I'd argue the proverb "S-Bahns are just Regio-trains with better PR" holds some weight. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In switzerland That’s truer than you might think: the traffic planners want to cut down on kinds of services to exactly four: S-Bahn, Regio, InterRegio and InterCity, which means on one hand to shoehorn RE services into S or IR services and on the other hand to create a difference between R and S services, which seems to be the frequency and connectivity, where S services are higher frequency with paralleling services while R services seem to be the lone lines out in the sticks. Don’t forget that the rail map doesn’t tell everything, as sometimes that paralleling service might be a regional bus line that complements or feeds into the paralleling train service
But Hamburg also has a mostly seperate track network for it's S-Bahn, and Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart have a central korridor only for S-Bahn services - the trains use mainlines further out, but not exclusevily. And with your definition, where's the difference between an S-Bahn and an RB / RE ? I don't think it's quite as simple :D
Earlier this year I did a European train journey from London to Paris (via Eurostar) to Zurich (via TGV) and Zurich was really nice! I also went through the longest tunnel in the world, went on the glacier express to Chur and then to Munich.
Great video! You did a very good representation of my local s-bahn :) One interesting thing, which makes Zurichs regional transportation unique (imo) is the role of the airport. Even though there are only a couple S-Bahn lines servicing it, almost all national and international trains going east call there, making it accessible to the whole country. Also, as a local transportation network it is important with many bus lines converging here (the local bus authority once ran an ad showing off the fact that it has the most departures per day from the airport). And thirdly: The airport is actually Switzerlands second busiest shopping mall! It really is a destination for many people who don't want to fly, which adds value to the region, which otherwise would only have pollution and noise from its neighbor.
That's a very important thing to mention and something that I've been noticing when using the trains to the airport. I wonder when the airport station will have to be expanded though.
I had the good fortune to visit here last year, using some of the mentioned lines. I stayed around the Wipkingen tunnel. It was a great experience, combined with the Gotthard line (both mountain and tunnel). Secret tip: Locarno and its miniature rail line to Italy.
Thank you for your thorough explanation of the different S-Bahn lines in Zurich. I will be heading there in April for the first time and look forward to trying out some of the different services and probably will hate coming back to the states and our less than ideal rail network.
The S23 even continues on from Winterthur a few times per day, on the same route as the IC8 (and at the same speed). Though it is only useful to a subset of commuters (as all the rural buses are synchronized to the more regular intercity trains instead), it helps a lot during peak demand. Until a few years ago, this relief train didn't even have a proper line number, it was just labelled with a red "S".
The "S" Train still exists. It gets used under special circumstances and is just called the "S-Bahn". It currently operates as a replacement of the S8 (I think because of construction work) from Winterthur to Ziegelbrücke.
I have travelled on the Bern S-Bahn network, managed by the BLS. It is very very efficient and you can also travel on InterCity, RegioExpress, and Interregio trains, on the way. Yet its not as extended as the Zürich one
Having lived in the NYC area for the better part of my life I was unfortunately very familiar with the LIRR, MetroNorth and NYC subway systems. You can imagine my shock after moving to Zürich and experiencing the difference in public transit. Favorite station name on the S4 line is Giesshübel.
I was struck how dense the transport network was in 2019 when I had a layover there. Zurich was also hillier than I expected. Striking how complicated the S Bahn system is around Zurich Hbf with S Bahn trains going underground as well as reversing in the main trainshed.
Hi, Thank you for this extensive video. I watched it on Nebula and came here to comment to hank you so much ! I'm from Switzerland, but the french speaking part in the west and there are a few ongoing or complete projects that are also interesting to cover, even if they're not as dense as the Zurich SBahn : - Lausane is currently finishing up their SBahn Extention with a 1km fly over bridge and a whole new trainstation, freeing space in the infrastructure to allow for the complete and in-depth refurbishing of the main trainstation (as well as building a thrid metro and a first tram) - Geneva just finished an underground international S Bahn with France - Also, Basel is currently developping projects for an underground city-through line for its three national network. Today's situation is also very interesting with the division of the network between the countries. - Then, the "takt" you talked about is heritage from the Bahn 2000 project that has also seen the New undergound connection through the Alps (Lötschberg, Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnels)... I would really love to see in depth presentation of all these with the quality of your work. I'm heavily using my country's train network and feel blessed everytime by the extensive frequency and quality of service. I would love for everyone to know about it. Thank you for your wonderful work and see you soon :-)
I live in the area but I didn't know that the system was THAT complicated! I normally just use the S5 or S15 between Wetzikon and Zurich, so I don't get to see the rest of it a lot.
The synchronization seems so universal when you live there. I was surprised that nothing is synchronized here in Toronto. Now it seems like the most amazing thing in Zurich. You can come from a tiny village and once you arrive in a city, your next train will be within 10 minutes, even if it only runs every 30 or 60 minutes. Canada, please copy the Swiss!
It's one of those things I never even considered to be unique about Swiss public transport before Not Just Bikes highlighted it. I was flabbergasted that not every transit network is doing that. Just seems like such a no-brainer. (Yes, there is a lot of work that goes into designing the time table, but considering how much more work goes into the infrastructure, you'd think it would be obviously worth it...)
I would have stayed in Zurich when I visited. It was beautiful, calm, full of options and life. Everything was so expensive, though, and the way they set up their country and city, it makes some sense.
3:20 I also rode this kind of trains with EMU-style locomotive hauled double-decker trains! There are many of these, not only on the Zürich S-Bahn, but also on some regional train services in Germany. I have here some examples from Rhine-Main area: Frankfurt - Limburg(where the door chimes of these trains reminds me of the TTC Subway and GO Transit door chimes), Frankfurt - Gießen/Marburg and Frankfurt - Wächtersbach/Fulda.
@@Kenionatus I'm not talking about the whiter EMUs (the white EMUs are the Stadler Kiss EMUs, which I also saw here in Germany, mostly in Berlin area, where these trains are operated by ODEG on some regional train lines). The trains I'm talking here about are the older, locomotive-hauled and bluer bilevels.
I think, Takt in this context might best be translated as beat. Similar to music, you have the main rythm (60 minutes in Switzerland), and then you have the beat for each line, like 30-30 on most S-Bahn lines, 20-20-20 on S4/S10, etc. They interweave to give for example a 15-15-15-15 beat, or sometimes a 10-20-10-20, to leave capacity for other trains like intercity, freight, etc. Edit: I really don't like clock face regular interval foaming mouth designation, even if it is technically the best translation for Integraler Taktfahrplan...
I can say that I'm quite proud and very happy to work for SBB. Nothing is perfect, but we are pretty close. The trains are very punctual and reliable, especially when you consider all the things that can go wrong every day.
I live in Dietikon so I use these services every day. For me its truly the most convinient rapid transit that I every seen anywhere, so I am happy to live here! :D
Warsaw transit system. With S-Bahn (SKM) regional (KM) and Commuter Railway (WKD). Together with metro (M) creates pretty dense network. with a lot of expansion plans for the future.
My absolute favorite is the S19, since I live in Dietikon, because I can reach the Zurich main station in like 10 minutes to catch an international train. I love that! Its my express line to all the major hubs in Zurich.
You should take a look at Rodalies de Catalunya. It's a mixture of regional and commuter services around Catalonia that even feature international trains
Munich is very precise. I once heard an announcement in the main S-Bahn section where trains come through every 2 minutes from 7 lines saying "We apologise for the trains arriving in the wrong order" . At Scheidplatz and Innsbruckerring on the U-Bahn, there are cross-platform interchanges where trains on 2 lines arrive at the same time enabling instant transfer. One of the lines runs through both stations meaning that the 3 lines involved are precisely synchronised.
to give you a measure of how intricate the swiss public transport is, my town harvested 2k signatures (5k inhabitants) to have more busses connecting a suburb with barely 500 people. There already was a bus every half hour, and by swiss standards that just wasn't even close to enough
Same in my rural canton where I live buses run every half an hour with a few exceptions but they're all packed. They've improved the network 5 years ago already and its already hightime to at least run the buses all 15 minutes now.
I'd love to see Prague. It also has a S-bahn style network without any tunnels. Also the public tranzit is really well designed in my poinion. Would love to see your thougts.
![🇨🇭 Cab Ride Zurich Tram Line 5 Driver's View | Laubegg - Kirche Fluntern Full Line [4K]](/img/n.gif)
If you haven't seen it yet, here's my in depth video on Zurich S-10!
ua-cam.com/video/DzX6Ga9asxQ/v-deo.html
Video idea: THE BIGGEST difference between Switzerland and other nations, imo, is the complete ticket integration in the whole country. Having to worry about your ticket being valid on Train A, but not valid on Train B is really annoying. Not to mention trams, buses and long distance trains (that may require even a reservation).
Do you need to go from A to B? There's just ONE ticket. Need to do that regularly? Just ONE abo. Valid on EVERYTHING. It's as easy as that.
@@FortuneZer0 I'm sorry I don't get what you mean. Can you be more specific?
The Netherlands does the same. Just get an OV card and you can take everything from trains to buses to even ferries country-wide. The only exception I've seen is crosscountry transit like the ICE or Thalys. It's not exactly a ticket but no one uses tickets. Can't even get tickets for buses anymore(though you can often pay directly with debit)
Austria finally introduced a similar ticket last year, which is valid on all public transport in the country. And with only 3€ per day it's even a lot cheaper then the Swiss "Generalabonnement".
@@stephanweinberger Good neighbours understand each other ;-)
@@FortuneZer0 I was talking about the Austrian all-network "Klimaticket", which is only €1095 per year (and currently you even get a 13-month validity for that).
CHF3860 for the Swiss "Generalabonnement" might seem expensive, but the prices in Switzerland are generally higher than in the rest of Europe. And measured by the _excellent_ service it's actually worth it in many cases (hence why over 400,000 Swiss own one). A car will set you back quite a bit more.
Small correction: No train in Switzerland requires reservation. You hop on, find a seat and get out at your destination. You might want to reserve a seat if you're on a train that heads for Paris, Milan, Vienna or Munich for example. But as long as you stay within the country, just make sure that the seat is not reserved for that part of your journey.
Small correction: The Glacier Express does require reservation. (Every rule needs an exception)
Make sure that you do not sit in first class unless you have a first class ticket. You will be asked to move to second class regardless of how empty the first class section might be. And do no be rude, otherwise they reserve the right to charge you a fine right on the spot for having an improper ticket. Other than that, it's like what was said above, no need to worry about changing trains.....as long as your ticket states your destination and you haven't gone past it, or you have a general or time use abonnement.
Trains in Germany also never require a reservation. You can make a reservation if you want to make sure you get a seat, but you don't have to. The only exception is overnight trains. So feel free to shoot to Munich without one next time.
You also don't need a reservation for trains to Munich :)
A lot of Swiss Trains require reservation such as the EC from Zürich to Milano Centrale
Zurich guy here. Fantastic accuracy and nuance! Please do also Zurich Tram/Bus/Funi/Boats episode (am sure this is anyway in the planning). Waiting for more episodes from around the world :-)
This British regular visitor to Zurich would agree that you should do a video on all the other (very diverse) forms of transit in Zurich.
Thanks for watching David!!
@@RMTransit As an American who lived in Zurich as a kid I would love to see more about the varied Zurich transit system. What I find interesting after watching your other videos and living there is how Zurich manages without a traditional Metro. While living there I regularly took the tram through the tunnel that had been built for the proposed U bahn.
Perhaps particularly relevant in exploring how North American systems that are unable/unwilling to build a metro could still provide good transit service.
Das System ist einfach nur grandios 👍So wie das gesamte öffentliche Verkehrssystem.
Used the zürich s Bahn during the street parade a almost 1 million people techno party, trains and train stations where overcrowded nevertheless the schedule was on point no delay whatsoever, unbelievable
Honestly, Swiss railways and transit are amongst some of the world's most underrated systems (not just Zurich but Geneva's and Bern's too).
No way it's underrated, swiss trains are always talked about as prime examples of great transit systems.
@@finger3215 people normally talk about SBB-CFF-FFS when talking about Swiss trains.
Don’t you dare not mention Lausanne. It has a metro !
@@truedarklander doesn't S-Bahn also fall under the SBB ?
@@finger3215 some do
With roughly 3000 trains a day and around 460 000 passengers per day Zurich HB is also one of the biggest train stations in Europe.
Actually at 3'000 trains a day Zurich HB is the *world's busiest railway station* in terms of train movements.
There are 50 stations in Europe, Asia and North America that handle more passengers a day than Zurich does, but none of them come close to 3'000 movements a day.
@@benedictdesilva6677 really, not even in Japan?
@@Micha-ng7yp Absolutely. Even though Zurich HB is ranked 51st in the world in terms of passenger throughput - Tokyo's Shinjunku serves almost 10 times more (3.5 million a day) with fewer trains.
Same holds for Europe's busiest: Gare du Nord in Paris with almost twice as many passengers and again fewer trains. Paris is followed, in order, by Hamburg, Frankfurt and Zurich.
The reason lies in Switzerland's strict adherence to the "Clock Face Time Table" (Taktfahrplan) which means that there is minimal reduction in the number of train movements every hour - even during the most extreme off-peak hours a core set of trains keep moving at the hourly rhythm prescribed by the _Taktfahrplan_ concept.
Yeah, and i miss some of these facts in the video. I learn in 20 minutes which line come from and goes to... Little bit dissappointed...
The development of the S-Bahn in Zürich in the last 30 years combined with the rest of the public transport system (Trams, busses, cable cars, etc) has led to an increase in young people with no driver's license. It's just so easy and convenient to use public transport and a bike that there's literally no dependency on cars.
Can confirm. I still don't have one and a few of my friends don't either. I'm 30 and from Winterthur.
people in Zurich and wintherthur will follow 4 categories 1 the one you name in your coment witch some are also chossing the train because envoirment 2 the rich in porsches,ferraris,lambos,mc larens 3 the people in plumping ,painter ,,,etc jobs in company car 4 a combination of people that fell they need a car or have a station wagon suv for family im from Bern and i will say here whe have more of the category 1 and 3 and 4.
@@steveee2511 Although you see a lot of expensive cars in Switzerland, most rich genuine swiss people don't really flaunt their wealth. It's considered very bad taste and an indiscretion, same with talking about salaries or calling people after 6pm.
@@cascadecontroller 100% typical winterthurer
It's still a bit dodgy for public transport out in the sticks though where having a car is almost a necessity
The only country where I trust a 2 minute train transfer. Love the Swiss punctuality 🇨🇭🇨🇭
If a train is 3 or more minutes late, they apologize on the PA
I lived in Switzerland between 2008 and 2016...I would never rely on that though tbh I rarely did any journeys requiring rail connections but used to regularly do St Prex to Lausanne and a bus to northern Lausanne. This is where Switzerland really shines as you should expect rail services to be integrated but it also applies to bus services
To me, one of the most amazing feats is that none of this existed when I lived in Zurich 1986-1988. California can barely get one tunnel dug in 35 years; Switzerland can bore through itself like a chunk of Emmentaller.
I am curious how public infrastructure was back then
it used to be good before but a bit less coordinated and frequent. The original S-Bahn started operating in May 1990 and was continuously improved and extended since. The next larger extensions are planned for 2035.
I regularly drive freight trains from Chur through to the Northwest cities via Pfäffikon and Zurich.
It amazes me still that there is even capacity for freight between all these S-Bahn trains, however it is always the most frustrating part of the journey.
You are continuously running up on the S ahead of you while the next is bearing down on you.
This results in extended waiting times on sidings until the Takt can fit the freight train again.
Great video!
Do you know the rough Trucking to train freight ratio in Switzerland? One one hand I know its not a huge resource exporting country, so I assume its not so much. On the other it's a lot of mountain so the cost of trucking is probably higher? Idk.
@@neolithictransitrevolution427 I was looking up some statistics of the swiss government. Inland transport had a 63/37 percent split in 2020, with 67 percent of freight being transported on trucks.
However, thanks to completion of the Lötschberg and Gotthard Base Tunnels since 2000 there has been a huge increase of international freight rail traffic, going from Belgium and the Netherlands to Italy.
On these corridors the split was 28/72 percent in favor of rail in 2020!
Even so, in terms of capacity there is much room for improvement. This depens on wether Germany can get their sh*t together and bring their network and freight corridor up to the standards that were agreed on over two decades ago.
Hello colleague! Just ask the BZ Ost if you can leave the train and what time they plan to let you go. So you can go to the nearest Kiosk/Avec and enjoy a coffee in peace sitting on a bench ;-) just be on your train about 5 minutes before departure time and simply announce yourself "Fahrbereit"
@@neolithictransitrevolution427 we are a landlocked country, in the middle of europe?^^ In 2021 it was roughly 68 Tons, thats around 38% of all freight.
Haha oft am warte in Thalwil und Pfäffike
From a fellow Zürich resident, thank you for bringing some light to our otherwise quite under appreciated network!
Great video!! I recently moved to Thalwil, a town in lake Zurich. It’s amazing seeing trains depart to the city every 10 minutes from such a small town (20’000 residents). Even some Inter-Regio trains stop here, taking you to other cities like Zug, Chur and Luzern. Really shocking for someone who grew up in a country with basically no trains.
How far from downtown Zurich?
Thanks for watching and for accepting that at grade junction with the base tunnel haha
@@michaelrmurphy2734 It’s about 13 minutes in the S-Bahn or less than 10 with the Inter-Regio trains that go trough the base tunnel
@@RMTransit Really love your channel! Keep your hard work and you’ll get North America somewhere closer to like it’s here. 💪💪
This is very true. Swiss make it easy for those who do not have cars to get around. I feel like public transit nearly goes everywhere…Even in less densely populated areas. What an awesome feeling that if you don’t have a car or Uber..you can still get around.
Hy RM. I’m Traindriver for local Trains in Zurich and all I have to say. Absolutely Great Video 👍🏼🙌🏼
Thank you! That is so cooool! Now I need to visit!
what is the cheapest way of going from zurich airport to rhine falls and then rhine falls to zurich city center (HB)
I find it so cool to see content about Switzerland, thank you for covering Switzerland so extensively.
im a driver on a brand new light rail opening up in Zurich Altstetten in mid December this year (Line 20, currently we are testing the route) called Limmattalbahn. its awesome you mentioned ZVV and its way of connecting S-bahns with passenger distribution lines like our light rail. it allows for very efficient travel from home to work without long wait times at stations waiting for a connecting train
Fun fact: The first train departing from the newly opened airport train station Zurich in 1980 was the one with the Queen herself visiting Switzerland.
OMG!!! And I think she will make her last journey by train... :(
@@michaelrmurphy2734 That would be nice and an opportunity for future model railway companies to produce a commemorative version (viz, Hornby's Winston Churchill edition) but alas not.
The late queen's remains have this day been taken from her scottish summer residence of Balmoral to lie in state in her Edinburgh home, Hollyrood House.
In two days, her mortal remains will be taken by aeroplane to RAF Northolt NW London and thence by hearse to lie in state in the near thousand-year-old Westminster Old Hall at the Houses of Parliament.
The late Queen also cut the ribbon to inaugurate the station at Kloten Airport.
Kloten airport and Zurich airport are the same -.-
@@Braun30
The reason for the S24 to take its unique route out of HB is to maintain service to Wipkingen station, which lost most of its S-Bahn service when the central tunnel opened. Prior to that, all the west bank of ZRH services (S2, S8 etc) would flow through Wipkingen too
Yes, but Wipkingen has the fastest bus connection to Züri main station (L. 46). All my friends in Wipkingen prefer bus 46 than S24.
@@yvesroche3746 But if you're going beyond to Enge.... the tram can be a drag :)
@@lookatthestars1101 yes, Tram 7 is very slow and stops every 100m...
Zurich is probably my favorite city to visit/fly in to, it's just so easy get around in switzerland from zurich
Yeah it’s a lovely place ❤️
I used to live in Switzerland and visited Zurich it's the only place I got any kind of city vibe, other places just felt like large or medium sized towns
Thanks Reece. Writing as a fairly regular visitor to Zurich, I can say you cover pretty well everything of importance.
I would add one point about ticketing. Zurich Verkehrsverbund tickets ARE VALID on inter-city and inter-regio trains. This is important for people travelling on the Winterthur-Flughafen-Oerlikon-Hauptbahnhof corridor. (In Germany Verkehrsverbund tickets are usually not valid on intercity trains.)
Switzerland is as a whole a Verkehrsverbund. Doesn't matter which app or machine or how many different buses, trains or trams you need, you can get a single ticket between any two stations.
@@whytecold In principle you are correct. See the 'Not Just Bikes' video recommended by Reece.
Yes, it's key to the interchangeability between the systems!
@@whytecold Yes it is a full integrated ticketing system, so if you by a Ticket from A to B it will be valid on any kind of train that travels that route in the given class. But if you buy a specific ticket for lets say ZVV, A-Welle or Libero, it will only be valid within that Verbund or the part of the Verbund it is valid in.
And actually, under the hood it is a super complicated system of negotiations between many different Verkehrsverbünden, Kantons, EVUs,....
I study in Zurich so I have to use the trains. This video shows how complicated it is. I never have to think about this. I just use the app from the Swiss national traincervice (SBB) and it shows me on which platform I have to go.
Love the Swiss transport system in general, on time, connects, and simple integrated ticket system. Use it all the time when i am in CH. Use the S Bahn almost daily. Just a brilliant system.
Brilliant! I was in Zürich over the summer and utilised the transport system every day. So impressive and the trams are just brilliant!
Proud daily user of Zürich's public transport network here - incredibly well done research and video! Your level of understanding of this network is absolutely impressive and despite having taken most of these lines many times, I got to learn a few things. Bravo!
Great video, as always! I really enjoyed it, especially having grown up in Zürich. One feature worth mentioning that is perhaps unique to the S-Bahn Zürich, is that during the winter months the S2 is extended to a ski resort. The train terminates at Unterterzen Station that connects to a cable car taking skiers straight to the slopes.
Yeah man true, didn't think of that. I live on the s2/s8 line down at the lake. I can take the S2 directly into the city (either Enge, Wiedikon, HB or even north to Oerlikon), every now and then to the airport or go the other way to Flums. Man, you don't really appreciate how amazing that is, but we should...
Having said that, those trains are PACKED. Feels like in Tokyo where the attendants push and shove you in. But here your fellow passengers are smelly stinky sweaty skiers with tons of equipment. A pleasure it is not, that's for sure.
Hi from Zurich Oerlikon. I learned a lot about the S-Bahn system in my home town! Great explanation, accuracy and level of detail.
Being from Zurich as well we often take our transport system for granted haha
Great video. I was born and raised in Züri and still live here - an I learned soo much. Thanks !
Wow finally! I've been waiting for a video on the Zurich S-bahn for a long time now
What is this S-Bahn, U-Bahn thing? Bahn is German for road, I know that at least.
@@michaelrmurphy2734 "Bahn" actually means "path" and in terms of roads, it's only used in "Einbahnstraße" (one-way street) and "Autobahn" (motorway) and instead is more often associated with railways ("Eisenbahn" in German). So when something bears the name "-bahn", it typically refers to rail transportation including S-Bahn ("Stadtschnellbahn", a hybrid of rapid transit and suburban trains) and U-Bahn ("Untergrundbahn" which normally is a traditional rapid transit / metro system).
@@michaelrmurphy2734 'Bahn' is perhaps best translated as 'way' - certainly not 'road'. However when a German-speaker uses the word 'Bahn' they usually mean a railway. For 'road' they would usually use the word 'Strasse', German has no separate words distinguishing 'street' from 'road'.
@@MarioFanGamer659 Oh, thank you Mario! Now I know. I though U-Bahn might mean underground or subway.
And S-Bahn was street railway or something. And autobahn? Well, Kraftwerk made that famous!
@@Fan652w AH! Thank you. My limited understanding of German. DB for Dutche Bahn, the national railway.
Great Video! I'm living in Zurich and I have to state its' all working so smooth despite its intricate design. It gets even more complicated when you think about the integration of the S-Bahn with all the other Intercity and Regional Express Trains!
One major upgrade in the vein of the Weinberg-tunnel was the construction of two flyover-bridges towards the west, allowing the Intercity-Trains coming from Bern or Basel to actually access the Weinberg-tunnel platfroms, connecting other cities straight to the airport (its called the Durchmesserlinie).
That was lot to take in :)
Fascinating thing with S-bahn system in Switzerland is that on many S-bahn "end stations" there is another S-bahn system connecting from another region. You more or less can travel through the whole of Switzerland only using S-bahn :)
To be precise, the only place that is not accessible in the way you describe is the canton of Ticino because you have to go through the Gotthard base tunnel
@@fabswisss That was the less part :)
Growing up in Switzerland I have to admit I'm a spoiled kid when it comes to transportation! Man, the number of times I visited other countries and got frustrated because trains and busses were "late" and with bad connections, when for locals it's completely normal and just doable. 5min delay for me is already too much sigh...
Bridging the gap between the car and the platform is such an important and wonderful feature, not in the least because it makes rail service accessible for people who use wheelchairs. Imagine trying to use a wheelchair to get onto a bus or onto a train or tram that lacks that bridge feature, that doesn't sound like a good time to me at all. I have a friend very near and dear to my heart who requires a wheelchair due to a spinal injury, and living in car-dependent suburban US is not easy for him, even living with his parents. There are so many reasons why I wish my locale would finally step up our public transit game; thinking about my friend and how immobilized he is at home is a pretty big reason.
I honestly didn‘t even realize this wasn‘t standard in other countries. Though I guess this explains the whole Bombardier rolling stock delay, since SBB had to reject the first few trains and Bombardier had to retrofit them with some accessibility features.
We have some pretty strict laws in that regard and a few NGOs representing disabled people that directly work with SBB to make it easier for them to use public transportation. Also quite often if SBB doesn‘t want to meet their demands, they sue and the court usually decide in their favor and force SBB to implement the demands.
Personally I think public transit that isn‘t actually accessible isn‘t really public at all, so I (and the majority of the public) is also usually on the disability activists side, even if it means spending some additional money (usually it isn‘t even all that much).
To be fair, gap fillers aren’t needed universally, some systems are designed to provide a small gap without them!
Well, that's not really how it goes here, if everyone rolled up to the station in their car this wouldn't work at all. People connect to the train stations via bus, walking or bike. Although I get it in such a case.
Your friend should move to Zürich city. Trams are borderless as well so he could go by tram within the city and outside by trains, by himself. By law, all Swiss train stations have to be converted for borderless access (as do all public buildings btw) by the end of 2022, although some are a little behind, but we'll get there.
And it isnt just amazing for those with a disability but also much easier for elderly people, mothers with strollers or travelers with have luggage profit from the feature. (Also swiss soldier appreciate it the enormous bags for the military equipment hav a pair of wheels)
In Switzerland on the bus and trams there is a foldout ramp and if somebody with a wheelchair is waiting the driver will come out and help you in. This sometimes delays buses but everybody understand that this is the right thing to do.
Every time I hear about the underground throughrunning platforms of Zürich HB, it annoys me that Stuttgart 21 doesn't do the same. Instead of augmenting the existing terminating tracks above like in Zürich, they plan to replace them. It's pretty obvious that the eight underground platforms will be a major bottleneck in Stuttgart, and the new station isn't even finished. If they kept the terminating tracks above, the new throughrunning tracks wouldn't need to be so overloaded. However, ripping out the tracks and promising to build housing in their place seemed to be a more attractive option.
Housing over train tracks? Bad idea...
Zürich HB has only 8 underground tracks and it’s plenty on tracks without buffers there is no long waiting times for the train driver to switch ends and the underground platforms in Zürich are sometimes used to reverse trains
@@nashorn9745 But Zürich HB has those underground tracks in addition to 16 tracks on ground level. Stuttgart Hbf will only have 8 tracks in total once Stuttgart 21 is complete.
@@namenamename390 still might be all that it realy neads
@@michaelrmurphy2734 Why?
Makes me miss Zurich. Used to go a couple of times a year but my friends left Switzerland just before Covid. 🙁 Used to take the S6 to Baden
I really enjoyed this video. I live in Basel, Switzerland, but travel frequently to, through, and within Zürich and loved this discussion. Although the Zürich system is big and quite impressive, I think the Basel system is better. In Basel you can take the tram to France OR Germany. The Basel infrastructure and rolling stock are more comfortable and super convenient. As regards topics for future analysis and presentation, you could really pick any of the major Swiss regional operators and discuss their systems. I love all the trains/trams/buses/ferries/funiculars in Switzerland, but I particularly enjoy riding the Rhätische Bahn. I also second the topic another viewer mentioned: ticketing integration. This is two-way integration: buying and riding. Everything is seamless and invisible, although there are numerous operators. Bravo. Another stellar video.
I was in Zurich last year and it low-key blew my mind that the end platform at Hbf was only separated from the road by a few bollards in some places - no walls, no ticket gates, no change of height other than a small step. Sure, some small stations can have informal arrangements like that, but a city's main rail hub? Crazy!
Even more interesting is that they could close those widely open spaces easily with a flexi gate that rises up from under the floor.
Zürich has a amazing system of tram, busses and S-BAHN 👍And the whole SBB is one of a best Rail Companies in the World 👌🇨🇭
This video defines the word "comprehensive". I'm floored! Thank you so much for this great contribution and information.
The Zurich S bahn makes it so convenient to travel out of Zurich, I took it plus thurbo to Stein am Rhein when I was there this summer.
This is an extremely important point. The S-Bahn not only gets people into Zurich. It provides numerous ways in which Zurich residents can get out into the beautiful countryside. And that includes hikers, skiers and mountainbikers!
Zürich Hauptbahnhof might be confusing at first with its different levels, but it's actually well connected with good signage and relatively short ways between trains, making it useful as an exchange station. In recent years the western pedestrian tunnel has been enlarged and connected to the underground tracks (except SZU) which doesn't require all passengers to walk around the buffer stop.
A huge advantage compared to München Hbf which doesn't have such a pedestrian tunnel, resulting in extremely long ways (in some cases you need 10 to 15 minutes from a track on the north end to one on the south end of the station).
Tobias' point is of fundamental importance. This pedestrian tunnel about 180 metres from the buffer stops is very heavily used by passengers changing trains. Many German dead-end Haupbahnhofs (eg Munchen/Munich and Frankfurt) desperately need a similar tunnel. And the signage at all German Hauptbahnhofs (but especially Berlin, Hamburg and Munchen/Munich) needs to be vastly improved.
Yeah, the Zürich HB isn't confusing at all. It's easy to navigate through and everything is labeled.
Nah I think the whole station is built extremely well, the only confusing part for me, is when ariving at the rather newly opened platforms 31-34, you need to exit the platform at one end, if you want to connect onto the s4/s10. But thats being specific, and most people that comute through HB will learn that quickly.
Watching this while sitting on an S-Bahn from Winterthur to Zurich HB!
Now I'm looking forward to a Zurich S-Bahn-Tram-Trolleybus-Bus mega compilation video!
It would be a never ending video
Don't Forget the Ships
@@fabswisss i kinda like 2h video essayes. but it's not their style i guess
Omg love this! And as always is an honor to help out ❤️❤️❤️
A transit network to die for (not really)! This is a great video Reece, thanks for making it!
Greetings from Zurich. This is quite an amazing job you did here. Well done 👏
Loved Zurich's transport infrastructure when I visited back in June! Really makes me reminisce it!!
I've been waiting for you to do a video on Zurich for ages! My transit heaven
absolutely fantastic video. as someone living in zurich it was absolutely astonishing seeing you map out every last detail from top to bottom. Great mix between details and a macro view on the topic.
This is the type of content I want to binge watch 😁 I love this channel
Really fascinating network. That picture at the beginning of this episode was awesome with the sloped train going through that building. Apparantly this is the Polybahn.
Thx for puting a picture of my home town in
nice of you mentioning my line the S-17 :) worth noting it too runs on the 1m narrow gauge :)
It‘s crazy to see a video about the place you live, well done
Thank you :)
Love that you finally fo the S-Bahn Zurich. Perhaps you should do a video explaining Swiss public transportation in general first.
Can’t do it first now that I made this!
@@RMTransit Nevermind. Do it later then.😅
Finally a video about the network I use daily.
You did cover the S-Bahn network very nicely, but you could have lost a few more words about the transit organisation(ZVV), if there isn‘t an other video planed about it.
Because it isn‘t just unifying the different train operators, but also the trams, busses and boats. The ZVV does planing of intermodal conections as well as the fare system. So that you can use the same ticket for boat, bus tram and train no matter what company operates it.
Yes, one ticket for unlimited access is vital no matter what the operator is. In Switzerland or Canada.
But he did say that in the video tho
@@LeZylox he mentioned it, but that severely understates how much of a difference it makes to have an integrated proof of payment ticketing system that means your trip length is exactly travel time plus walking distance plus if necessary one minute at the first ticket machine at one price no matter what combination of transport you want to take… it might not seem like that much, but going from the integrated system to anywhere else takes away a big layer of felt freedom and requires just that one level of attention that just about doubles or triples the level of thought and attention required to travel
It’s tricky since the video was already pushing 20 minutes!
@@RMTransit Its all good from Reese and RM Transit. Even at twenty minutes!
13:09 The discussion about which trains and train networks deserve to be called S-Bahn, and what makes a proper S-Bahn are probably as old as the term S-Bahn in the german-speaking transit world.
There are purists who only consider the metro-like Berlin S-Bahn to be a proper S-Bahn (as the term was first coined there), but I'd argue if the term is now used for way different systems, then maybe the Berlin metro-like system is the one who doesn't really fit the term.
But on other networks, I'd argue the proverb "S-Bahns are just Regio-trains with better PR" holds some weight.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In switzerland That’s truer than you might think: the traffic planners want to cut down on kinds of services to exactly four: S-Bahn, Regio, InterRegio and InterCity, which means on one hand to shoehorn RE services into S or IR services and on the other hand to create a difference between R and S services, which seems to be the frequency and connectivity, where S services are higher frequency with paralleling services while R services seem to be the lone lines out in the sticks. Don’t forget that the rail map doesn’t tell everything, as sometimes that paralleling service might be a regional bus line that complements or feeds into the paralleling train service
But Hamburg also has a mostly seperate track network for it's S-Bahn, and Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart have a central korridor only for S-Bahn services - the trains use mainlines further out, but not exclusevily.
And with your definition, where's the difference between an S-Bahn and an RB / RE ?
I don't think it's quite as simple :D
Yeah, ask 15 different German rail enthusiasts, What the terms "S-Bahn" and "Stadtbahn" mean, and you will get 20 different definitions for each word.
Earlier this year I did a European train journey from London to Paris (via Eurostar) to Zurich (via TGV) and Zurich was really nice! I also went through the longest tunnel in the world, went on the glacier express to Chur and then to Munich.
Great video! You did a very good representation of my local s-bahn :)
One interesting thing, which makes Zurichs regional transportation unique (imo) is the role of the airport. Even though there are only a couple S-Bahn lines servicing it, almost all national and international trains going east call there, making it accessible to the whole country. Also, as a local transportation network it is important with many bus lines converging here (the local bus authority once ran an ad showing off the fact that it has the most departures per day from the airport). And thirdly: The airport is actually Switzerlands second busiest shopping mall! It really is a destination for many people who don't want to fly, which adds value to the region, which otherwise would only have pollution and noise from its neighbor.
That's a very important thing to mention and something that I've been noticing when using the trains to the airport. I wonder when the airport station will have to be expanded though.
I had the good fortune to visit here last year, using some of the mentioned lines. I stayed around the Wipkingen tunnel. It was a great experience, combined with the Gotthard line (both mountain and tunnel).
Secret tip: Locarno and its miniature rail line to Italy.
you should make a video on metro systems that have regional functions and their pros and cons (rotterdam, hamburg, washington dc to name a few)
Porto Metro does that as well
With trams
Perhaps!
Thank you for your thorough explanation of the different S-Bahn lines in Zurich. I will be heading there in April for the first time and look forward to trying out some of the different services and probably will hate coming back to the states and our less than ideal rail network.
The S23 even continues on from Winterthur a few times per day, on the same route as the IC8 (and at the same speed). Though it is only useful to a subset of commuters (as all the rural buses are synchronized to the more regular intercity trains instead), it helps a lot during peak demand.
Until a few years ago, this relief train didn't even have a proper line number, it was just labelled with a red "S".
I never understood way certain lines are cold "s"
The "S" Train still exists. It gets used under special circumstances and is just called the "S-Bahn". It currently operates as a replacement of the S8 (I think because of construction work) from Winterthur to Ziegelbrücke.
I have travelled on the Bern S-Bahn network, managed by the BLS. It is very very efficient and you can also travel on InterCity, RegioExpress, and Interregio trains, on the way.
Yet its not as extended as the Zürich one
Thanks
Thank you!
Having lived in the NYC area for the better part of my life I was unfortunately very familiar with the LIRR, MetroNorth and NYC subway systems. You can imagine my shock after moving to Zürich and experiencing the difference in public transit. Favorite station name on the S4 line is Giesshübel.
Yesss my Hometown finally, haha im so happy :)))
I was struck how dense the transport network was in 2019 when I had a layover there. Zurich was also hillier than I expected.
Striking how complicated the S Bahn system is around Zurich Hbf with S Bahn trains going underground as well as reversing in the main trainshed.
Yeah the complexity is super impressive!
So you expected Switzerland, of all places, to be flat?
@@arnoldhau1 to be fair Geneva is decently flat
Hi, Thank you for this extensive video. I watched it on Nebula and came here to comment to hank you so much ! I'm from Switzerland, but the french speaking part in the west and there are a few ongoing or complete projects that are also interesting to cover, even if they're not as dense as the Zurich SBahn :
- Lausane is currently finishing up their SBahn Extention with a 1km fly over bridge and a whole new trainstation, freeing space in the infrastructure to allow for the complete and in-depth refurbishing of the main trainstation (as well as building a thrid metro and a first tram)
- Geneva just finished an underground international S Bahn with France
- Also, Basel is currently developping projects for an underground city-through line for its three national network. Today's situation is also very interesting with the division of the network between the countries.
- Then, the "takt" you talked about is heritage from the Bahn 2000 project that has also seen the New undergound connection through the Alps (Lötschberg, Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnels)...
I would really love to see in depth presentation of all these with the quality of your work. I'm heavily using my country's train network and feel blessed everytime by the extensive frequency and quality of service. I would love for everyone to know about it.
Thank you for your wonderful work and see you soon :-)
Excelent video ! Really open my eyes.
I live in the area but I didn't know that the system was THAT complicated! I normally just use the S5 or S15 between Wetzikon and Zurich, so I don't get to see the rest of it a lot.
The synchronization seems so universal when you live there. I was surprised that nothing is synchronized here in Toronto. Now it seems like the most amazing thing in Zurich. You can come from a tiny village and once you arrive in a city, your next train will be within 10 minutes, even if it only runs every 30 or 60 minutes. Canada, please copy the Swiss!
It's one of those things I never even considered to be unique about Swiss public transport before Not Just Bikes highlighted it. I was flabbergasted that not every transit network is doing that. Just seems like such a no-brainer. (Yes, there is a lot of work that goes into designing the time table, but considering how much more work goes into the infrastructure, you'd think it would be obviously worth it...)
It's the best thing about the swiss system that the modes of transport are integrated. I live in Britain now and nothing seems to connect. Quite messy
I would have stayed in Zurich when I visited. It was beautiful, calm, full of options and life. Everything was so expensive, though, and the way they set up their country and city, it makes some sense.
3:20 I also rode this kind of trains with EMU-style locomotive hauled double-decker trains! There are many of these, not only on the Zürich S-Bahn, but also on some regional train services in Germany. I have here some examples from Rhine-Main area: Frankfurt - Limburg(where the door chimes of these trains reminds me of the TTC Subway and GO Transit door chimes), Frankfurt - Gießen/Marburg and Frankfurt - Wächtersbach/Fulda.
I call them the Stadler standard double decker. :)
@@Kenionatus I'm not talking about the whiter EMUs (the white EMUs are the Stadler Kiss EMUs, which I also saw here in Germany, mostly in Berlin area, where these trains are operated by ODEG on some regional train lines). The trains I'm talking here about are the older, locomotive-hauled and bluer bilevels.
I think, Takt in this context might best be translated as beat. Similar to music, you have the main rythm (60 minutes in Switzerland), and then you have the beat for each line, like 30-30 on most S-Bahn lines, 20-20-20 on S4/S10, etc. They interweave to give for example a 15-15-15-15 beat, or sometimes a 10-20-10-20, to leave capacity for other trains like intercity, freight, etc.
Edit: I really don't like clock face regular interval foaming mouth designation, even if it is technically the best translation for Integraler Taktfahrplan...
I can say that I'm quite proud and very happy to work for SBB. Nothing is perfect, but we are pretty close. The trains are very punctual and reliable, especially when you consider all the things that can go wrong every day.
This is a really interesting system. Great video!
I live in Dietikon so I use these services every day. For me its truly the most convinient rapid transit that I every seen anywhere, so I am happy to live here! :D
I really should travel to Switzerland again, have been to Zurich a few times and I love the transport system.
Warsaw transit system. With S-Bahn (SKM) regional (KM) and Commuter Railway (WKD). Together with metro (M) creates pretty dense network. with a lot of expansion plans for the future.
I live in zurich since I was born and I never realized how many lines we have here, got to try some new ones out
Quite funny that this video popped up, while I am heading towards Zürich to change trains there (but "unfortunately" only on IC connections)
Switzerland and Japan are operating on another level ❤
Thank you for mentioning Winterthur 😍 That has to be a first in a video about Switzerland.
stayed near Stadelhofen when i visited Zurich a few years back its a surprisingly suddle but very nice station
The S23 Service goes on the peek times to Romanshorn (Canton of Thurgau) and terminantes there
Thanks! Even though I have lived in Zürich my whole life, I learnt a lot here :) ...
My absolute favorite is the S19, since I live in Dietikon, because I can reach the Zurich main station in like 10 minutes to catch an international train. I love that! Its my express line to all the major hubs in Zurich.
You should take a look at Rodalies de Catalunya. It's a mixture of regional and commuter services around Catalonia that even feature international trains
Munich is very precise. I once heard an announcement in the main S-Bahn section where trains come through every 2 minutes from 7 lines saying "We apologise for the trains arriving in the wrong order" . At Scheidplatz and Innsbruckerring on the U-Bahn, there are cross-platform interchanges where trains on 2 lines arrive at the same time enabling instant transfer. One of the lines runs through both stations meaning that the 3 lines involved are precisely synchronised.
youtube:The Most Precise Transit System in the World?
Japan: Apology after train departs 20 seconds early
Amazing
Explaining the S-Bahn 2G in detail would be amazing!
13:10 Is that a seagull surveilance cam?
to give you a measure of how intricate the swiss public transport is, my town harvested 2k signatures (5k inhabitants) to have more busses connecting a suburb with barely 500 people. There already was a bus every half hour, and by swiss standards that just wasn't even close to enough
Same in my rural canton where I live buses run every half an hour with a few exceptions but they're all packed. They've improved the network 5 years ago already and its already hightime to at least run the buses all 15 minutes now.
love the design of the Stadelhofen Station, but thats because Calatrava also designed parts of my school
I'd love to see Prague. It also has a S-bahn style network without any tunnels. Also the public tranzit is really well designed in my poinion. Would love to see your thougts.
there are also tunnels in Prague - The main Station is even lying in between of two.
Switzerland does have nice trains , true .
Cool video 👍 yes i agree the Zurich S-Bahn is very good
It's like a beautifully executed OpenTTD network. :D
Great video Reece
Thanks!