S-Bahn Zürich
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The Zurich S-Bahn () system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire
canton of Zurich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...
and portions of neighbouring cantons (
Aargau Aargau ( ; ), more formally the Canton of Aargau (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau. Aargau is one of the most nort ...
,
Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
,
Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...
, St. Gallen,
Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...
and
Zug Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; ; ; ; )Named in the 16th century. is the largest List of cities in Switzerland, town and capital of the Swiss canton of Zug. Zug is renowned as a hub for some of the wealthiest individuals in the wor ...
), with a few lines extending into or crossing the territory of southern
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. The network is one of many
commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
operations in German speaking countries to be described as an
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
. The lines connect with services of
Aargau S-Bahn The Aargau S-Bahn ( or ) is an S-Bahn-style regional rail network serving the canton of Aargau, Switzerland, with some services extending into the cantons of Bern, Lucerne, Solothurn and Zug and one service to the German city of Waldshut-Tiengen ...
to the West,
Basel S-Bahn The Basel S-Bahn (, ) has provided an S-Bahn-style rail service connecting the Basel metropolitan area since 1997 in Switzerland, Germany and France. It consists of eight suburban train lines, including four that operate across borders. The S-Ba ...
(only in ) and
Schaffhausen S-Bahn The Schaffhausen S-Bahn is an S-Bahn network in the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen and the German state of Baden-Württemberg (Konstanz and Waldshut districts). It comprises three services and began operation in 2015. Services are operated by SBB ...
to the North, St. Gallen S-Bahn to the East, and
Lucerne S-Bahn The Lucerne S-Bahn () is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail network focusing on Lucerne in Central Switzerland. Opened on 12 December 2004, the network forms part of the Central Switzerland S-Bahn project (), which also includes the Zug Stadtbahn (). ...
/
Zug Stadtbahn The Zug Stadtbahn () is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail network centred on Zug, Switzerland. Opened on 12 December 2004, the network forms part of the Central Switzerland S-Bahn project (), which also includes the Lucerne S-Bahn (). Lines , the n ...
to the South, as well as with
InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
,
InterRegio The InterRegio, often shortened to IR, is a train categories in Europe, train category for mainly domestic train services in use in some European countries, with Swiss Federal Railways operating the most dense network. InterRegio trains are semi ...
and
RegioExpress RegioExpress, commonly abbreviated to RE, is a Train categories in Europe, category of fast regional train service in Switzerland, run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) or other railway companies (such as Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia, ...
services at major
junction station ''Junction station'' usually refers to a railway station situated either on or close to a rail junction, where lines to two or more destinations diverge. Many junction stations have multiple platform faces to enable trains for multiple destinatio ...
s. The entire ZVV S-Bahn network went into operation in May 1990, although many of the lines were already in operation. Unusual among rapid transit services, the Zurich S-Bahn provides first class commuter travel; about a quarter of seats on each train are first class.


History

Before the construction of the Zurich S-Bahn, most trains to Zurich terminated at
Zürich Hauptbahnhof Zürich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB, and known in English as Zurich Main Station, is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It is a major railway hub, with services to and from a ...
(), apart from the
Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn The ''Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn AG'' () – commonly abbreviated to SZU – is a public transport company and network in the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of canton of Zurich, Zurich. The network comprises the Uetliberg railway line, ...
lines which terminated at Zürich Selnau. Originally built as a west-facing terminus, the Hauptbahnhof acted as a terminus for trains coming from all directions. It was connected to lines to the north and northeast via the Wipkingen Tunnel and
Zürich Oerlikon railway station Zürich Oerlikon railway station () is a railway station located in District 11 of Zürich. It is one of the two major nodes for local and regional public transportation in the northern part of Zürich, the other being the railway station at Zur ...
. The Hauptbahnhof was also connected via the Letten Tunnel to the Lake Zurich right-bank railway line to the southeast. This line also stopped at Stadelhofen station at the opposite side of the city centre, before passing through the single track tunnel to Letten station, then turning 180 degrees to reach the Hauptbahnhof. This line travelled to cover the distance between Stadelhofen and the Hauptbahnhof.


Gold Coast Express

The first step in developing Zurich's rail system which eventually led to the establishment of the S-Bahn was the establishment of the so-called ''Gold Coast Express'' () on 26 May 1968 between Zurich Stadelhofen and
Rapperswil Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
via
Meilen Meilen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Meilen (district), Meilen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. History Archaeological finds in Meilen date back more than ...
along the wealthy north shore of
Lake Zurich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...
, popularly known as the '' Gold Coast''. This development came about because, after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, there was a rapid expansion of commuting to Zurich from the former wine-growing villages along the railway line, which originally opened in 1894. As a result, commuters complained that the trains were overcrowded, slow and often delayed. The
canton of Zurich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...
began to develop a project to improve the railway in the 1950s. Because it was not used by either long-distance passenger or freight trains, improvements in local services were possible. Double track sections were built between Kuesnacht and
Herrliberg Herrliberg is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History There are findings dating back to the Bronze Age. In the 8th century, a village called ''Tächliswil'' was established. A hamlet calle ...
and between
Stäfa Stäfa () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Meilen (district), Meilen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. Geography Stäfa has an area of . Of this area, 46.1% is ...
and
Uerikon Uerikon (also spelled Ürikon) is a village near Rapperswil, Switzerland. Geography Uerikon is located on the north bank of the Lake Zurich, Zürichsee (Lake Zürich) in the Pfannenstiel (Zürich), Pfannenstiel region and is part of the polit ...
, along with new stations. The main problem was finance. Development of the line would only serve local interests and would not lead to increased revenue for Swiss Federal Railways (SFR). At the time the canton and cities affected could not fund improvements to an SFR line, so the law was changed to allow local contributions. The new ''Gold Coast Express'' service operated a regular schedule every half-hour, with the total journey time for the distance of reduced from the previous 60 to 40 minutes. The most striking feature of the improved railway was the three-car claret-coloured RABDe 12/12
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s. These had good acceleration and braking performance and immediately became known as "Mirages", after the jet fighters. The modern features of the Mirages included automatically closing doors, which allowed short stops at stations and a reduction in travel time.


U-Bahn rejection

On 30 May 1959 some voters put two proposals to the Zurich ciry council. The first would have allocated CHF 200,000 for a study on the construction of a two-line (underground railway) with lines from Enge to
Kloten Kloten is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Bülach District, district of Bülach in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (). History Kloten is first mentioned in 1155 as ''Chlotun''. Geogra ...
and from
Altstetten Altstetten may refer to: *Altstetten, Erdweg, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten, Rennertshofen, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten (Zürich), Canton of Zürich, Switzerland {{Geodis ...
to Tiefenbrunnen; but it was opposed by the majority of the City Council and failed. The second motion proposed the establishment of a company to build and operate a
Zurich U-Bahn The Zurich Underground Railway, or Zurich U-Bahn, was a project started in the 1970s to build a rapid transit network in the Switzerland, Swiss city of Zurich and several bordering municipalities. This project was itself preceded by several earli ...
. The city had already considered such a proposal and opposed it, on the basis that Zurich was not big enough for an underground railway, and it would cost too much. In a referendum on 14 February 1960, 69.8% of voters voted "no" to the proposal. Following further work and the enactment of a new transport act, the regional public transport authorities presented a new proposal for a combined regional U-Bahn and
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
system, with the latter being a railway network centred on a tunnel under the city centre, which would connect to existing suburban railway lines. From
Zurich Airport Zurich Airport is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, and, with its surface transport links, much of the rest o ...
, an U-Bahn line would run via Glattbrugg, Oerlikon, Hirschenwiesen, Central,
Zürich Hauptbahnhof Zürich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB, and known in English as Zurich Main Station, is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It is a major railway hub, with services to and from a ...
,
Stauffacher ''Stauffacher'' is an important nodal station of the Zurich tram network. It is located in the Aussersihl district of the city of Zurich, Switzerland, next to the St. Jakob church. It is situated along the , between and . The tram stop was name ...
and
Altstetten Altstetten may refer to: *Altstetten, Erdweg, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten, Rennertshofen, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten (Zürich), Canton of Zürich, Switzerland {{Geodis ...
to
Dietikon Dietikon is the fifth biggest city of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, after Zürich, Winterthur, Uster and Dübendorf. It is the capital of the same-named district of Dietikon and part of the Zürich metropolitan area. Geography The ...
. Much of the line would have run above ground. The second part of the proposal was the "
Zürichberg The Zürichberg is a wooded hill rising to 679 m (2,228 feet), overlooking Lake Zürich and located immediately to the east of the city of Zürich, Switzerland, between the valleys of the Limmat and the Glatt rivers. Its highest point is about 2 ...
network", a line from Zürich Hauptbahnhof via a new tunnel under the Zürichberg to Dietlikon to the northeast (not to be confused with
Dietikon Dietikon is the fifth biggest city of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, after Zürich, Winterthur, Uster and Dübendorf. It is the capital of the same-named district of Dietikon and part of the Zürich metropolitan area. Geography The ...
, which lies to the west of Zurich). The proposed construction of an underground station in Museumstrasse on the north side of the Hauptbahnhof was intended to ease the pressure on the Hauptbahnhof. On 20 May 1973 this proposal was rejected in a referendum, with the "no" vote as high as in the previous referendum. At the referendum, little opposition had been expressed against the proposed S-Bahn lines.Hobmeier (1990) p. 12


Coordination and construction of the S-Bahn

Rail is a major element in Zurich's public transport system, and its upgrade required close collaboration between the canton of Zurich and
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a State-owned enterprise, government institution, but since 1999 it has be ...
(SBB CFF FFS), the owner of most of the railways. The SBB CFF FFS had insufficient resources for a substantial upgrade of commuter services. On the other hand, the canton of Zurich could not fund an alternative transport network. The first step towards cooperation came in 1978 with the establishment of a Transport Fund providing CHF 40 million annually for urban transport. The routes of today's S-Bahn were established in a debate in the cantonal Council on 19 June 1978. Alternative "eastern" and "western" options were discussed. Under the western option the northern end of the central tunnel from the Hauptbahnhof would have connected with Oerlikon, while in the eastern option it would have tunneled under the Zürichberg and ended near Dietlikon. The cantonal Council chose the eastern option by 85 votes to 36. At a referendum on 29 November 1981, Zurich's voters approved by a two-thirds majority a loan of CHF 520 million for the construction of the core of the S-Bahn. The following changes were made: *The construction of the
Hirschengraben tunnel The Hirschengraben Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the Switzerland, Swiss Zürich, city of Zürich. The tunnel runs from the western approaches to Zürich Hauptbahnhof railway station, east under the station, the river Limmat and city centre before ...
between the Hauptbahnhof and Stadelhofen. Four new platforms were built under the existing Hauptbahnhof, along with connections to the existing western lines. The Letten Tunnel and station were closed. *The construction of the
Zürichberg Tunnel The Zürichberg Tunnel () is a railway tunnel in the Switzerland, Swiss Zürich, city of Zürich. The tunnel runs from a junction with the Lake Zürich right bank railway line, Lake Zürich right bank line at Zürich Stadelhofen railway station, Z ...
, which connected Stadelhofen to lines to the northeast, as well as having a new station at Stettbach. *The extension of the
Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn The ''Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn AG'' () – commonly abbreviated to SZU – is a public transport company and network in the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of canton of Zurich, Zurich. The network comprises the Uetliberg railway line, ...
lines from Selnau to the Hauptbahnhof, with the Selnau terminus closed and replaced with an underground through station. *The opening of
Hardbrücke railway station The Hardbrücke (Swiss German: ''Hardbrugg'') is a long road bridge and important north–south connection in the Switzerland, Swiss city of Zürich. As of 2009, 70,000 vehicles use the bridge daily. From north to south, the bridge crosses ''Wi ...
in 1982, between the Hauptbahnhof and
Altstetten Altstetten may refer to: *Altstetten, Erdweg, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten, Rennertshofen, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten (Zürich), Canton of Zürich, Switzerland {{Geodis ...
to the west. *The redevelopment of Stadelhofen station, with an architecture award-winning design by
Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...
.


Opening and expansion

On 27 May 1990, the S-Bahn was brought into operation and the ''Zürcher Verkehrsverbund'' (Zurich Transport Network) began operations. For the first time, one could travel on trains, buses and trams with just one ticket. Despite "teething problems", passenger numbers increased rapidly. Since the opening of the S-Bahn, travel volumes have increased by about 60%. In several stages, S-Bahn services were expanded to a rail network, and peak hour express trains were added. The first stage of the expansion addressed the chronic overcrowding of trains on the S12 route between Dietikon and Zurich, requiring improvements in the
Limmat The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, continuing a further 35 km until it reaches the river A ...
valley. The widening of the railway to four tracks between Dietikon and Killwangen allowed the separation of the S-Bahn from the long-distance and freight services. The new S3 service introduced as a result complemented the S12 service, to provide a train every 15 minutes on the route. At the same time the sections of the S9 route via Knonau were upgraded to allow services to be increased to each half hour. Services on the north side of Lake Zurich were increased with trains provided every 15 minutes by S6, S7 and S16 services. A new station was opened at Glanzberg between Dietikon and Schlieren. Under the second stage of expansion in December 2002, night trains were added to the S-Bahn. Since 2007, night trains provide a continuous 24-hour service from Friday morning until Sunday evening on some lines. The third stage expansion was completed in 2007. On 12 December 2004 (coinciding with the completion of the first stage of Rail 2000), the S3 service was extended from Dietikon through the Heitersberg Tunnel to
Aarau Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the d ...
with a new station at
Mellingen Mellingen () is a historic town and a municipality in the district of Baden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. The town is located on the Reuss. History Mellingen is first mentioned in 1045 as ''Mellingen'' though this comes from a 16th ...
. On 10 December 2006, S15 was opened between
Rapperswil Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
and
Birmensdorf Birmensdorf is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Dietikon (district), Dietikon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. History Birmensdorf is first mentioned in 876 as ''Pi ...
following line improvements. It was extended from Birmensdorf to
Affoltern am Albis Affoltern am Albis (abbreviated as ''Affoltern a.A.''; Swiss German: ''Affoltere'') is a town and a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Affoltern is first mentioned in 1190 as ''Afiltre ...
on 9 December 2007. South of Zurich sections of the Sihltalbahn were doubled. On the rural feeder lines around
Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...
( S33 to
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
, S35 to Wil and S41 to
Bülach Bülach () is a historic town and a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Zürich. It is the administrative capital of Bülach district. It is situated in the Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal'') to the east of the small river Glatt and ab ...
) services were increased to run every half hour. The S8 was extended from Winterthur to
Weinfelden Weinfelden is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name. Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Ancient Rome, Roma ...
, providing with the existing S30 services two trains an hour on the line. In addition, the S16 was extended every hour to Schaffhausen, stopping after Winterthur only at Andelfingen and
Neuhausen am Rheinfall Neuhausen am Rheinfall (sometimes abbreviated as Neuhausen a. Rhf., called Neuhausen until 1938) is a town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. The town is close to the Rhine Falls (), mainland Europe's largest waterf ...
. Moreover, on the line from Winterthur to Wil a new station opened at Winterthur
Hegi Hegi is a quarter in the district 2 of Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as ...
.


Opening of the Weinberg Tunnel

Following a successful referendum, a project was established to create a new route between the Hauptbahnhof and Oerlikon station. Unlike the existing two routes between the stations, the Weinberg tunnel would approach the Hauptbahnhof from the east, allowing trains to run between the western and northern lines without bypassing the central station. This route was known as (), and was for use of both long-distance and S-Bahn trains. The project also included a third set of underground platforms under
Zürich Hauptbahnhof Zürich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB, and known in English as Zurich Main Station, is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It is a major railway hub, with services to and from a ...
, a new elevated route through the western approaches and two extra platforms at Oerlikon. Breakthrough of the new Weinberg Tunnel was achieved in November 2010, and it was opened to traffic on the 14 June 2014. On the same date, the new platforms, also known as the Löwenstrasse station, were opened. Whilst the other works are still outstanding and expected to be completed in 2015, the partial completion resulted in significant changes to the Zurich S-Bahn. These changes included the diversion of lines S2, S8 and S14 through the Weinberg Tunnel. These lines previously ran via Zürich Wipkingen station, and in order to prevent that station losing service, S24 was extended from Zürich Hauptbahnhof station via Wipkingen to Zürich Oerlikon station. At the same time, the former
Glarner Sprinter The Glarner Sprinter was a List of named passenger trains, named passenger train of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). It ran from Zurich into the canton of Glarus, and was operated as a RegioExpress service. The train provided a commuter servi ...
, a two-hourly train service from Zürich Hauptbahnhof to Linthal, was replaced with a new hourly S-Bahn service, the S25. These major changes resulted in a number of other changes, with service to various stations being provided by different lines.


Operation


Current services

32 services comprise the Zurich S-Bahn network. The lines are numbered (2‒21, 23‒26, 29‒30, 33, 35‒36, 40‒42) using the prefix "S", which is typical for
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
systems. With the exception of lines S13, S17, S18, S26, S29, S30, S33, S35, S36, S40, and S41, all routes run through or terminate at Zurich main station. The S27 service between and , operated by SOB during peak-hours, is neither part of the Zurich S-Bahn nor the St. Gallen S-Bahn network. Unless noted otherwise, all services operate every 30 minutes throughout the day and follow a strict, regular timetable. This is known in the German speaking world as a ''Taktfahrplan'', or
clock-face scheduling A clock-face schedule, also cyclic schedule, is a timetable system under which public transport services run at consistent intervals, as opposed to a timetable that is purely driven by demand and has irregular headways. The name derives from the ...
in English. There may be additional trains during peak periods, and a reduced frequency in the evenings and/or at weekends. Timely connecting services often exist at
junction station ''Junction station'' usually refers to a railway station situated either on or close to a rail junction, where lines to two or more destinations diverge. Many junction stations have multiple platform faces to enable trains for multiple destinatio ...
s.


Nighttime services

During weekends, in the night from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday, there are nighttime S-Bahn services (designated SN followed by the route number) and nighttime bus services (designated N followed by the line number). Nighttime services operate from 1 o'clock until the early morning hours. The nighttime S-Bahn and bus routes form a network, which is different from the daytime network. Most SN services run hourly. As of December 2022, the following nighttime S-Bahn services existed:


Previous services

* The S1 formerly linked
Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and
Zug Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; ; ; ; )Named in the 16th century. is the largest List of cities in Switzerland, town and capital of the Swiss canton of Zug. Zug is renowned as a hub for some of the wealthiest individuals in the wor ...
via
Thalwil Thalwil is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and town in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. The municipality includes two parts: Thalwil and Gatti ...
. It was renamed the S21 after the opening of the S1 line of the Lucerne-Zug network (
Zug Stadtbahn The Zug Stadtbahn () is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail network centred on Zug, Switzerland. Opened on 12 December 2004, the network forms part of the Central Switzerland S-Bahn project (), which also includes the Lucerne S-Bahn (). Lines , the n ...
and
Lucerne S-Bahn The Lucerne S-Bahn () is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail network focusing on Lucerne in Central Switzerland. Opened on 12 December 2004, the network forms part of the Central Switzerland S-Bahn project (), which also includes the Zug Stadtbahn (). ...
) in 2004 to avoid confusion. It is discontinued and replaced with the part of the line S24. * The former S11 was a rush hour service. It was subsumed into the S23 in December 2018 when the current S11 service opened. * The former S12 operated between Brugg and Seuzach/Seen until December 2018. * The former S21 was subsumed into the S24 after the opening of the Weinberg Tunnel in 2014. * The S22 formerly linked
Bülach Bülach () is a historic town and a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Zürich. It is the administrative capital of Bülach district. It is situated in the Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal'') to the east of the small river Glatt and ab ...
with
Singen Singen (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Singe'') is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border. Location Singen is an industrial city situated in the far sout ...
(in Germany) via
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
. It has been replaced by the S9 and S24 services, respectively, in 2015. A line numbered S22 still ran between and until 2018, operated by THURBO, but this route is currently running as two separate lines of
Schaffhausen S-Bahn The Schaffhausen S-Bahn is an S-Bahn network in the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen and the German state of Baden-Württemberg (Konstanz and Waldshut districts). It comprises three services and began operation in 2015. Services are operated by SBB ...
(S62 and S65). * The S31 used to run across the
Seedamm The Rapperswil Seedamm is the artificial causeway at the narrowest area of Lake Zurich between Hurden, Hurden (SZ) and Rapperswil (SG). The structure contains two bridge segments and is approximately long. The Seedamm carries a road () and ...
, between
Rapperswil Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
and Pfäffikon SZ. * The S43 ran between Rüti ZH and Wald ZH (near Rapperswil) and had only three stations and was in fact a limited service of S26. It has been replaced by a bus route. * The S55 formerly linked Niederweningen and
Oberglatt Oberglatt is a municipality in the district of Dielsdorf in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (). Zurich Airport Zurich Airport is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, pr ...
, as a short-working of the S5. It has now been replaced by the S15. * The S3 formerly operated between Wetzikon and Aarau via Dietikon. However its western route is overtaken by the S11, it runs to Hardbrücke (or Bülach) instead.


International services

Two Zurich S-Bahn services cross the international border into
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Service S9 crosses German territory between Rafz and Schaffhausen (both in Switzerland), calling at the German stations of Lottstetten and
Jestetten Jestetten is a municipality in the district of Waldshut (district), Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. History In 1806 Jestetten became part of Baden. From 1840 until 1935, the territory of Jestetten together with Altenburg, Lottstette ...
. These two stations are located entirely on German soil, but all the infrastructure belongs to SBB. Service S36 crosses the border at the end of its journey, in order to terminate at Waldshut station in Germany.


Network map


Future developments

Further improvements are envisaged, including two additional tracks at Oerlikon railway station, a passing loop in Pfäffikon and adjustments at various stations. Further improvements in the corridor between the airport and Winterthur are being developed as part of the second stage of Rail 2000 for long-distance trains, which would require further adjustments for the S-Bahn. In the longer term, a vision for 2030 named Projekt S-Bahn 2G includes the development of two types of S-Bahn services and trains. Inner services will operate every 15 minutes, and will be provided by single-deck trains, so that passengers can embark and disembark quickly. Outer express services will operate every half-hour, stopping at all stations in the outer area but only at principal stations in the inner area, and will be formed of double-deck stock in order to provide more seating for longer journeys. In September 2014 a study was published for the construction of a new rail tunnel and underground station serving the ETH Hönggerberg "Science City". The new tunnel would run directly between Hardbrücke and
Regensdorf Regensdorf is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Dielsdorf District of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest city in the Furttal region. Katzensee is a lake that also i ...
stations, as opposed to the indirect route via the existing Käferberg Tunnel and Oerlikon station that is currently used by service S6.


Rolling stock

, Zurich S-Bahn uses the following
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
: * DPZ (, ) trainsets, each with three cars hauled by SBB Re 450 or SZU Re 456 locomotives (115 trainsets) *
SBB CFF FFS Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a government institution, but since 1999 it has been a special stock corpo ...
RABe 511, four-/six-car bilevel
EMUs Emus may refer to: * Emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the ...
(50 trainsets) * SBB CFF FFS RABe 514, also known as DTZ (, ), four-car bilevel EMUs (61 trainsets) * Refurbished Re 420 LION locomotive- hauled DPZ bilevel coaches (head and tail configuration), used for peak-hour services (15 trainsets) * SOB
Stadler Flirt Stadler FLIRT (, ) is a passenger multiple unit trainset made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. The baseline design of FLIRT is an electric multiple unit Articulated car, articulated trainset that can come in units of two to twelve cars with two t ...
, four-car single-level EMUs * Thurbo
Stadler GTW The Stadler GTW (, ) is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. History The Biel–Täuffelen–Ins-Bahn near Bern, Switzerland was looking for a lighter train model to replace its aging fleet, so tha ...
, two-/three-car single-level trains * "KTU" push-pull trainsets, each composed of an SZU Re 456 locomotive and double-deck and single-deck coaches, including one single-deck
control car A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK, Ireland, Australia and India) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or t ...
(6 trainsets) * SZU Be 510 (), three-car single-level EMUs (6 trainsets) * Stadler ABe 4/8 of AVA operating as S17 service (14
light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
sets) * Stadler Be 4/6 of ''
Forchbahn The Forch railway (, ''FB'', nicknamed ''Förchler'', ''Frieda'', ''Frieda Bünzli'' by locals) is a local mixed tramway / railway line in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Zürich. It is owned and operated by the Forchbahn AG, and is branded as ...
'' operating as S18 service (13 light rail sets)


References

* * *


See also

*
Public transport in Zurich Public transport in Zurich is available for four main Mode of transport, modes of transport—boat, bus, train and tram—assisting residents of and visitors to Zurich move around the of List of cities in Switzerland, Switzerland's largest city ...
* List of railway stations in Zurich *
Rail transport in Switzerland Rail transport in Switzerland is noteworthy for the density of its network, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-Alps, Alp freight system. It is made nece ...


Notes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zurich S-Bahn S-Bahn in Switzerland Regional rail in Switzerland
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
1990 establishments in Switzerland