The most beautiful railways in the world. Switzerland

Switzerland's railways run through scenic spots, so many travel guides recommend using this convenient mode of transport for travel. The rails of the roads are built along the lakes and rivers, beautiful mountains with snow-capped peaks. Trains pass through the mountains through tunnels, and canyons and gorges are crossed over beautiful bridges.

In the article, we will consider which Swiss railways are public and which are private. What are the gear trains that can even climb Mount Pilate? We'll also give travelers advice on how to cut down on train travel costs, as everyone knows the high cost of transportation in this wealthy country. Consider photographs of train cars belonging to different Swiss railways.

State trains

Most of the trains and paved railway lines are owned by a state-owned company. Its name is very long, so abbreviations of 9 letters are usually used - SBB-CFF-FFS, which are written on all trains that are white with red and gray. They are easy to recognize at Swiss train stations by their color.

All trains are comfortable and modern. They differ in their number of storeys. Although Switzerland is a small country, the company has more than 4,000 wagons, and the length of municipal tracks is 13,000 km. Both short and long distance passengers and cargo are transported.

Conveniences for passengers

To enter the train car, you need to press the button on the door, the same action should be performed when leaving. The seats on the trains of the Swiss railways are comfortable, soft, and the aisles are wide. Above each seat are spacious shelves for things. The carriages have the cleanest toilets with the necessary accessories.

Sitting on the train, you can not only admire the gorgeous views from the window, but also charge your phone or camera, use Wi-Fi or dine in a restaurant. For travelers with bicycles, strollers, skis and other bulky items, a special carriage with fastenings is provided. The guide will take your bike with a smile and place it on the rack. After leaving the car, he will take him back to the platform and wish you a successful excursion.

The trains have corners for small children with toys, shells, slides. Children cannot sit still for a long time, so the company's leaders took care of the little passengers.

On the second floor, the seats are located somewhat differently: closer to each other, one after the other or opposite. Between them there are comfortable sliding tables, so you can have a snack or put a bottle of water, put a laptop or tablet. Restaurant cars are located only on the second floor, food in carts on international trains is also delivered there, but at the same time, passengers from below are notified of this using a board.

Combining a schedule

Sometimes, in order to get to your destination, you need to change trains from one train to another. The accuracy of the Swiss is known to all, electric trains also move with a scrupulous timing. If a change is required, then upon exiting the platform you will have to move quickly to another platform and immediately board the next car. The schedule is made in such a way that you don't have to wait long, as well as look for the next train at the station.

Since the Swiss railways (the photo is in the article) are considered a popular and environmentally friendly mode of transport, in addition to the state company, there are several other private railways, mainly located in the mountains. Next, we will consider several popular and beautiful routes where you can climb on special cogwheels.

Cogwheel railways

There are more than 20 railways in Switzerland equipped with a special gear train. The mechanism is located between the rails and helps to lift the wagons on the slope of the mountain.

The steepest climb in the world, which the train climbs, is also located in mountainous Switzerland. The gear train climbs a 48% incline and takes tourists to the top of Mount Pilat, which is located near the city of Lucerne. In winter, closed carriages lift skiers for skiing to popular mountain areas.

Monument from the UNESCO list

The Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland is considered a real monument, a miracle of technology and human labor. The most picturesque train track was built at the end of the 19th century. Now the Albul and Berninskaya branches are especially popular, which amaze with the height of the rails, the passage over the deepest abysses, and the most beautiful views of the mountains from the windows. It delights and frightens passengers at the same time.

A narrow-gauge railway connects the small town of Tuzis with the resort town of St. Moritz. It is only 67 km long, however, construction took 14 years. The railway passes through 42 tunnels cut in the rocks and over 144 bridges over precipices with viaducts. The unique bridge, 136 meters high, consists of 6 arches and is the symbol of the Albulia road.

This passage for trains was built in the distant 1902 using technologies unusual for those times. This is the most amazing railway in Switzerland. Every year, millions of tourists from all over the world admire the beauty of the mountainous country, traveling by train. The routes are thought out to the smallest detail, because the Swiss love their trains very much. On the rails you can get to anywhere in the country, to all resorts and mountain hotels, to lakes and glaciers in the Alps.

Part of the Rhaetian road of the RhB line runs through the largest tourist area in the canton of Graubünden and reaches the Italian border at Davos and up to Tirano. The entire path with bridges and tunnels is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now part of the railway in the Swiss mountains on this route is closed for the reconstruction of tunnels.

Slowest train

The world's slowest yet most famous train route in Switzerland leaves St. Moritz to Zermatt every day. The duration of the trip is 7.5 hours. During this time, the express passes through the mountains through 91 tunnels, crosses 291 bridges over gorges. This Glacier Express route is a must on any tour of the Swiss Alps.

This legendary journey will be remembered by the guests of the country for a lifetime, as the trip combines the wonders of technology and impressive landscapes.

steep climb

The sharpest rise is carried out by trains along the narrow-gauge railway to Mount Pilat. The ascent speed uphill is 12 km / h, and back even slower - 9 km / h. The track was built back in 1967, the carriages are old, but the braking system has been improved.

The brakes are used parking, resistor, electric. They are independent of each other, which increases traffic safety.

Alpine narrow-gauge railway

The highest railway in Switzerland is also considered the highest in Europe. This is "Jungfrau" or Jungfraubahn. It belongs to the jagged lines, follows the Bernese Alps and the canton of Bern. The length of the railway tracks is 9 km, with the height difference being equal to 1,400 meters.

Most of the route along this route passes through tunnels (7 km) through the massif of the Eiger and Mönch mountains and climbs to the very top of the Jungfrau. This place was chosen by tourists, since at each stop along the train you can get off and admire the views. So at the station "Eigergletcher" you can see the waterfalls.

The Aigervand station offers a magnificent view of the valley and the walls of the Eiger. The Eismeer stop is famous for views of glaciers and magnificent cliffs.

The terminal station offers an all-round view of the Aletsch Glacier, the peaks of the nearby Jungfrau and Eiger mountains, and the magnificent Grindelwald Valley.

• Even in the summer, when climbing mountain peaks, you need to wear warm clothes and be sure to take sunglasses.
• It is recommended that on trains take seats near the window in the first or last carriage of the train, since you can take not only a photo of the area, but also of the train itself at numerous turns.
• Since train tickets in Switzerland can reach 50 euros, it is recommended to take a special travel card for a week or 15 days. Swiss Travel System allows you not only to safely change from train to train without buying separate tickets, but also to ride buses, boats and even go to museums. It is very convenient and economical.

Types of trains in Switzerland, ticket booking, timetables, routes

There are different types of trains in Switzerland. The national railway company is SBB(Schweizerische BundesBahn). The schedule and routes of this company can be found on the official website.

Regional trains in Switzerland

The main railway network in Switzerland consists of the following regional and intercity trains:

• RegioExpress trains connect regional destinations with larger Swiss cities
• Regio trains connect local cities
• InterCity trains connect major cities such as the Swiss Basel and Geneva
• InterRegio trains connect Zurich and Geneva with cities throughout Switzerland. These trains make more stops than intercity trains
• S-Bahn (suburban trains) is a train network that operates in the largest cities

International high-speed trains in Switzerland

International high speed trains

• ICE link Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands
• RailJet connects Zurich with Vienna (Austria).
• EuroCity connects Zurich, Basel and Geneva with Milan (Italy)
• TGV connects Zurich, Basel and Geneva with Paris (France)

Let's take a closer look at the routes of these trains.

ICE High Speed \u200b\u200bTrain

ICE (InterCity Express) is high-speed train that connects all major cities in Germany. He rides withabout a speed of up to 300 km / h and is one of the fastest ways to travel between cities such as Hamburg and Cologne. ICE has international connections in Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Austria.

If you want the fastest train, take a look at the train ICE Sprinter... This is the latest generation of ICE trains that travel daily during rush hour and have fewer stops than regular ICE trains.

ICE train ticket booking

ICE high speed train reservations are mandatory. Tickets can be booked 3 months before the travel date. Official site where you can make a reservation

ICE train routes

The map shows all the cities connected by the ICE railway network. In addition to Germany, the train route includes such countries as Austria (Vienna, Innsbruck), Belgium (Brussels, Liege), Denmark (Copenhagen, Aarhus), France (Paris), the Netherlands (Arnhem, Utrecht, Amsterdam) and Switzerland (Zurich, Interlaken ).

Facilities and services on the ICE train

• Air conditioning
• Children playground
• Cafe bar
• Facilities for the disabled
• Sockets
• Restaurant / bistro
• Video screens
• Wi-Fi internet

ICE High Speed \u200b\u200bTrain

ICE High Speed \u200b\u200bTrain

High Speed \u200b\u200bRailjet Train

Railjet is one of the most modern and luxurious trains in Europe. Its routes operate mainly in Austria and connect it with Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The speed of the Railjet train is up to 230 km / h. At this speed, you can get from Vienna to Budapest in just 2.5 hours. Railjet offers maximum comfort - ergonomic seats, free Wi-Fi, a large selection of food on the menu, entertainment for children.

Railjet train routes

The map shows the routes of the Railjet train. It connects the following cities:

Railjet high-speed train routes

Railjet train ticket booking

Reservations can be made on the official website of the Austrian Railways

Railjet amenities and services

• Air conditioning
• Children playground
• Facilities for the disabled
• Newspapers magazines
• Sockets
• Restaurant / bistro
• Video screens
• Wi-Fi internet

* Services may vary depending on train and route. But all trains have sockets for charging mobile devices, as well as free Wi-Fi.

Restaurant on the Railjet

High Speed \u200b\u200bRailjet Train

High Speed \u200b\u200bRailjet Train

TGV high speed train

The TGV is a high-speed train that runs throughout France and beyond. On it you can travel from romantic Paris to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

TGV train routes

The route network of TGV trains is quite wide, you can see it on the map. These are just the basic connections:

TGV high speed train routes

TGV train ticket booking

Advance booking of TGV train tickets is mandatory. You can make a reservation on the website.

Facilities and services on the TGV

• Air conditioning
• Children playground
• Facilities for the disabled
• Newspapers magazines
• Sockets
• Restaurant / bistro

* Services may vary depending on train and route.

TGV high speed train

TGV train salon 1st class

Night trains in Switzerland (domestic and international)

International night trains

Night trains connect Switzerland with Austria, Germany, Hungary, Holland, Czech Republic, Serbia and Denmark.

City Night Line Train

City Night Line (CNL) offers one of the widest night networks across Europe. Travelers often choose night trains to save travel time.

Train routes City Night Line

City Night Line Train

City Night Line Train

Traveling in Switzerland by train can be made into an unforgettable experience when done on.

But in fact, this is my most interesting experience of moving around the country on ordinary passenger trains, where almost every electric train is a panoramic cinema, where they show green meadows, snow-capped peaks, dazzling glaciers and dense forests. Streams and lakes, roads and paths, suspension bridges and multi-level autobahn overpasses sweep by. And most importantly, you have absolutely no time to get tired! The country is quite small and travel by train takes only a few hours, but emotions are retained in memory for many years.

Let's take a look with you at a small piece of what can be seen from the train window in Switzerland. I did not travel on tourist panoramic express trains, I just moved around the country on trains and electric trains, but what I saw so much exceeded my expectations that I can say for sure - Switzerland is not a country where you need to rent a car, you only need a railroad pass. pass!

Swiss Federal Railways, SBB-CFF-FFS is a state-owned railway company.
These are more than 1600 locomotives, more than 4000 passenger cars, more than 13000 freight cars!
And all this in such a small Switzerland, a country that does not even have an outlet to the sea.

Legendary Swiss Railways watch. This design could not be surpassed even by Apple, which released iOS7, in the interface of which there was a copy of this watch. This ended in a lawsuit in which Apple lost to the railroad company!

Only 30-40 minutes from Zurich towards St. Moritz. It is impossible to look at it calmly! This is just a picture from the train window:

A cool advertisement for a national park that turns 100 years old.
By the way, an interesting fact that surprised me a lot is that there is only one (!) National park in Switzerland, which is called Swiss National Prak. There are two more in the status of candidates for the national park, the procedure for their transformation into national parks stretches for 5-10 years, everything is very democratic and with a voting procedure in several stages. Against - local fishermen and hunters :)

I am always amazed at how convenient all modes of transport are interconnected and combined into one transport system.

In civilized countries I can no longer live without a mobile Internet, I even started using buses in a new and completely unfamiliar city, thanks to Google maps and walking routes to the bus stop that the application builds. Previously, I used only the metro, as delving into a paper map of bus routes is boring and long.

A very handy iPhone application near Swiss Railways, it is convenient to compose a route and automatically export it to the calendar:

All passengers should have a good view of the mountains!

On the table (which is the lid of the urn) is the route map:

I was traveling by train, part of the route is also included in the Bernina Express route. Along its entire length (67 km) there are 42 tunnels and covered galleries, 144 viaducts and bridges.
And all these 67 km are a UNESCO site!

Of course, it is better to photograph a red photogenic composition against a background of green foliage in summer or white snow in winter from the side, but it is very cool inside!

This is a Glacier Express car, unfortunately no windows open here. I rode in it in the evening when the train was ferried and it was built into the schedule like a regular train.

This is a high-speed intercity train:

Toilet in a two-story train:

In general, words are superfluous here ... It is worth seeing and must be tried! And there is no need for haste. Take the rail pass and just ride along the most interesting parts of the country.

Practical information:

If you love railways, then Seat61 should be the number one information site for you. For all countries, the most detailed information, very practically applicable, with all "logins and passwords" and all on one page for each country.

Switzerland is a railway country. Almost any settlement can be reached by train, city commuter train, cogwheel railway or rail funiculars. I will not talk about the federal railways, since I did not have to use them during the trip, but we used the most interesting local railways.

1. Acquaintance with the railway infrastructure began with the narrow-gauge railway Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, or rather with its section on the Fourka tunnel at an altitude of 1.564 m above sea level, 15.34 km long. The peculiarity of this section is that special platforms transport cars, moreover, with passengers.

2. Buy a ticket, enter the platform and in 25 minutes you are on the other side of the pass. Fast, convenient, safe. Getting out of the car while driving is prohibited!

3. And now the world's steepest railroad, the Pilatusbahn, with a maximum gradient of 48% and an average gradient of 35%. The line runs from Lake Lucerne to the final stop near the Pilatus peak at an altitude of 2,073 m. The first steam locomotive lifted passengers on June 4, 1889, and on May 15, 1937, electric trains appeared on the route.

4. Ascent and descent along the route Alpnachstad - Pilatus Kulm and back costs 72 Swiss francs, and you can go down to the city of Kriens using the funicular. The trip with the dog will cost you an additional 14 francs.

5. We plan to spend the night at an altitude of 2132 meters, so our "chumodans" are loaded into the unused rear cab of the driver.

6. Let's go! I will show the views from the window in another report, but now only transport photos.

7. The road is single-track, in the middle of the route there is a place for passing with oncoming trains.

8. Pilatusbahn car at the entrance to the summit.

9. Train station, aka Hotel Bellevue, aka a restaurant for tourists. Of course, all these establishments are located on different floors :).

10. Our next route starts in the commune of Lauterbrunnen, canton Bern. The Wengernalpbahn cogwheel train, opened in 1893, will take us to the village of Wengen, so that from there we will travel on the Jungfraubahn, the highest railway in Europe.

11. It is not visible in the photographs, but it is already dark, it is pouring light rain, and nothing could be seen from the train window. Therefore, I will come back to this road later, after driving on the Jungfraubahn.

12. "Retro trains" are still working, but we will go on this one on the right.

13. Clean and modern trains Wengernalpbahn.

14. Train at the Eismeer intermediate station of the Jungfraubahn railway. The train stops for 5 minutes, so you can get out and admire the eternal ice and the majesty of the rocks. Interestingly, Gayer received a building permit on the condition of providing proof that the thin air of the highlands would not harm the health of workers, and later passengers of the railway. Therefore, on September 15, 1894, at three o'clock in the morning from Zermatt to Breithorn in the Pennine Alps (Valais canton), a group of test subjects departed. Seven people aged 10 to 70 were carried on a stretcher to a high-mountain plateau at an altitude of 3750 m, the result of a second examination did not reveal a negative effect of the walk on their health, after which a permit was issued.

15. Vertical drop 1400 meters, length 9 km. For those who like to vomit, there are sachets.

16. And again Wengernalpbahn.

17. The ticket is not cheap, within 5 francs, trains are used not only by tourists, but also by locals.

18. The views are mesmerizing.

20. We meet a retro train that runs 2 times a day.

21. Is it beautiful?

22. And so, we are again at the Lauterbrunnen train station.

23. Berner Oberland Bahn cogwheel train.

24. And finally, the Montreux Vevey Riviera (MVR) railway.

25. The peculiarity of the road is that the train must be stopped using a button on a special column. If this is not done, then he passes by. There is the same button in the car.

26. I cannot say the cost of a ticket for this train, since all hotels in most cities in Switzerland issue transport cards to guests, which include travel by city trains and funiculars. And in the canton of Geneva there is even an express to the airport.

27. Part of the carriage is allocated for first class passengers.

28. Going up the Territet - Glion funicular, we see the trains of the Montreux-Glion-Rochers de Naye (MGN) railway. Cool, there is also a cargo trolley behind the train.

29. And here is such an unusual device.

30. Train of the Swiss Federal Railways SBB-CFF-FFS at the train station in Vevey.

31. By the way, on sections of the railways I came across well sooo old rails. Here is a railway report. There will be many more interesting things from Switzerland, stay tuned!

All the most operational can be viewed in my

In 2013, the Swiss Federal Railways - as their official name sounds - carried 366 million passengers. This is a very impressive figure. After all, the population of Switzerland itself as of September 30, 2014 was just over 8.2 million people. Switzerland's railways have the densest network in Western Europe. And Swiss trains are among the most reliable and comfortable in the world. The total length of the Swiss railway network as of 2013 is 3,033 kilometers. The highest railway station in Europe is also located here: the Jungfraujoch station at an altitude of 3454 m in the Bernese Oberland.

How the Swiss railways were created

The first section of the railway, which ran only on Swiss soil, was built in 1847 and connected the cities and Baden. The real railroad boom began after the passage of the Railways Act in 1852. This law established that railways can be built and operated by individuals or cantons.

A huge role in this was played by Alfred Escher, a Swiss politician, manufacturer and pioneer in the field of railway construction. He could rightfully call the "Law on Railways" his brainchild. The construction of the Gotthard Railway is one of his main achievements.

The mountain Saint-Gotthard Railway, which is 274.2 km long, crosses the central massif of the Swiss Alps and connects Italian railways with Swiss and German ones. In addition, Escher was one of the founders of the credit bank Schweizerische Kreditanstalt. Today it is the world famous Credit Suisse bank.

It is not surprising that the monument to Alfred Escher, opened on June 22, 1889, stands in a place of honor - on the station square. At the same time, the passenger traffic of the station in Zurich is approximately 400,000 people per working day.

The creators of the Railways Law were clearly well-intentioned. However, the result was a ruthless competition. As a result of which, the first Swiss East-West declared its bankruptcy in 1861. And in 1878 - the Swiss National Railway. These events influenced the point of view of both parliamentarians and ordinary citizens.

Demands for the nationalization of the railway grew louder. As a result of a popular vote on February 20, 1898, the nationalization of five "surviving" private railways was announced. January 1, 1902 was the birthday of SBB: this is the abbreviation for "Schweizerische Bundesbahnen" - Swiss Federal Railways - in German.

Swiss Railways Today

On Swiss trains, along with the railway logo in German, you can also see the abbreviation CFF-FFS - from the French “Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses” and the Italian “Ferrovie federali svizzere”, which once again emphasizes the multilingualism of Switzerland.

On January 1, 1999, SBB was transformed into an open joint stock company, 99% of the shares of which are owned by the state. Switzerland's rail network is fully electrified, with over 30,000 employees as of 2013. Until 2005, Swiss trains had carriages for smokers and nonsmokers. On December 11, 2005 - along with a change in the train schedule - smoking was banned everywhere.

Traveling on a Swiss train is, above all, comfort. These are comfortable, soft seats, large panoramic windows, clean toilets, air conditioners that work without interruption, sockets for mobile devices. Most high-speed trains have a dining car and a mobile minibar: an SBB employee rolls a cart down the aisle and serves drinks to passengers - tea, coffee, mineral water, cola, beer, as well as sandwiches, crackers and chips.

High-speed trains run between the main cities in Switzerland, on average, twice an hour. In addition, there are also suburban S-Bahn trains, which are simply electric trains. Moreover, the price for all types of trains is standard. And the price is quite high. So, an 11-minute trip in 1st class one way from the Zurich train station will cost you 10.80 francs. And for a trip from Zurich to Bern in 1st class there and back you will have to pay 176 francs, the same trip in 2nd class costs exactly 100 francs.

A train ticket in Switzerland has to be bought at a ticket office or at a ticket machine, train conductors do not sell tickets now, although this was the practice before - for a surcharge of 5 francs. A trip without a ticket will cost you a minimum of 80 francs, and your personal data will be stored in the SBB central computer for 2 years. The second stowaway trip will cost 120 francs, and the third - 150 francs. So it's best to buy your tickets on time and enjoy a comfortable ride.