Montreux Railway Station

Montreux railway station (french: Gare de Montreux) is the largest of the railway stations serving the municipality of Montreux, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

All of the SBB-CFF-FFS standard gauge passenger trains operating on the Simplon line call at this station, which is also the western terminus of the GoldenPass Line narrow gauge railway lines to Zweisimmen and to Rochers de Naye.

History

Montreux railway station was opened in 1861, when the then Jura–Simplon Railway (JS) opened the Lausanne– Villeneuve section of its standard gauge Simplon railway line to Sion. This line is now owned and operated by SBB-CFF-FFS.

In 1901, the station became a junction station upon the opening of the first section of the metre gauge Montreux-Oberland Bernois railway (MOB), between Montreux and its higher altitude suburb of Les Avants. In 1903, the MOB was extended to Montbovon.

In 1909, the Chemin de fer Montreux–Glion opened the Montreux–Glion section of the Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway line rack railway was opened, as an extension of the original line of Chemin de fer Glion–Rochers-de-Naye, opened in 1892. It is now operated by Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera.

Location

The station is on a hillside above the lake.

Access to and from Montreux's main street, ''Grand Rue'', is by escalators, elevators and stairs. The ''Rue de la Gare'' provides access to and from the old town, which is divided from the lake shore by the standard gauge railway tracks.

Layout

The station complex is in many ways a rarity. Montreux is most distinctive for being one of the few stations in the world (and the only station in Switzerland) served by three different track gauges: SBB-CFF-FFS , MOB and MVR . Its having three gauges is something shared by Gare de Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg in the French Pyrénées.

Second, access from the station building to the railway platforms is from the second floor, not the ground floor, due to the slope of the city, while the service facilities are at ground floor level, and access to the underpass can be found on the first floor.

Apart from these unusual features, the station also lacks a track 2. In the past, the designation track 2 was allocated to a passing loop not equipped with a platform. However, in 2006, as part of work done to increase the height of the platforms to , this track was provided with a platform and renamed track 1, and the former platform 1 was removed.

The SBB-CFF-FFS serves the main platform with track 1, and also operates track 3, which, together with the MOB tracks 4 (east half) and 5 (western half), serves a centre platform. Track 4 partially divides that platform in two.

Tracks 6, 7 and 8 serve a further central platform, which is similarly partially divided in two by track 7. Track 8, operated by the MVR, is situated underneath both a hotel and the MOB/MVR headquarters, known as the ''GoldenPass Centre''.

Whereas tracks 4 and 7 are used by regional traffic to and from Fontanivent, Sonzier and Les Avants, tracks 5 and 6 are for trains to and from Zweisimmen.

Services

the following services call at Montreux:

Swiss Federal Railways

* InterRegio: half-hourly service between and .
* RegioExpress:
** hourly service between and (on weekdays) or Geneva Airport (on weekends).
** single daily round-trip between and St-Maurice.

RER Vaud

* RER Vaud / : half-hourly (hourly on weekends) service between and ; hourly service to ; hourly service to on weekdays.

Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway

* ''GoldenPass Express'': daily round-trip to via .
* Panorama Express / Regio: half-hourly service to and hourly service to Zweisimmen.
* Regio: hourly service to .

Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera

* Regio: hourly service to .

PRODES EA 2035

As part of the strategic development program for rail infrastructure (PRODES), the Confederation and SBB are focusing on customer orientation and economical management of resources.

By 2040, nearly two million people will travel by rail every day, 50% more than today. In rail freight, the Confederation also expects traffic to increase by around 45%. The Swiss rail network will have to continue to meet customer needs: interesting connections, punctual trains, affordable tickets. SBB is committed to the sustainable development of public transport and takes on this responsibility vis-à-vis Switzerland.

Predicted service

Swiss Federal Railways

* InterCity:
** IC9: Half-hourly service between Geneva Airport and Brig.

* InterRegio:
**IR95: Half-hourly service between Geneva Airport and St-Maurice.
**IR98: Hourly service between Annemasse and Aigle

RER Vaud

* RER Vaud:
**: Half-hourly service between Grandson and Aigle.

Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway

* Panorama Express/ Regio:
**Half-hourly service to .
* Regio:
** Hourly service to , with some trains continuing to .
** Hourly service to .

Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera

* Regio:
**Hourly service to .

Bus traffic

A total of three VMCV bus stops serve the station:

*''Vernex-Dessus'' on motor bus lines 4,5 and 6;
*''Montreux Gare'' on motor bus lines 4,5 and 6;
*''Escalier de la Gare'' on trolleybus line 1, access via escalators to ''Grand Boulevard''.

See also

*Montreux
*SBB-CFF-FFS
*Montreux-Oberland Bernois
*Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera

References

External links

*
Goldenpass Services
- official site
Interactive station plan (Montreux)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montreux railway station
Railway stations in the canton of Vaud
Railway stations opened in 1861
Swiss Federal Railways stations
Montreux
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Vaud
1861 establishments in Switzerland