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The Südostbahn (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, ) – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
company, and a network in Central and
Eastern Switzerland Eastern Switzerland (, , , ) is the common name of the region situated to the east of Glarus Alps, with the cantons of Schaffhausen, Thurgau, St. Gallen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, and Glarus. The north of canton of Graubün ...
. It resulted from the merger of the original SOB with the
Bodensee–Toggenburg railway The Bodensee–Toggenburg railway is a mainly single-track standard-gauge line connecting on Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) and the Toggenburg region in Eastern Switzerland. It was built by the Bodensee-Toggenburg-Bahn (BT), a former rai ...
(BT) at the end of 2001. The Schweizerische Südostbahn AG (Swiss South-Eastern Railway SA) is a small private railway jointly owned by the
cantonal The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the Federated state, member states of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important ...
and
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
s as an
Aktiengesellschaft (; abbreviated AG ) is a German language, German word for a corporation limited by Share (finance), share ownership (i.e., one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria ...
(AG).


Network

The rail network of the Südostbahn (SOB) consists of that formerly owned by BT in northeast Switzerland (between
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
and
Toggenburg Toggenburg is a region of Switzerland. It corresponds to the upper valley of the River Thur (Switzerland), Thur and that of the Necker (river), Necker, one of its afluents. Since 1 January 2003, Toggenburg has been a constituency (''Wahlkreis ...
): *
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
St. Gallen St. Fiden line, * St. Gallen
Herisau Herisau is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated ...
Degersheim
Wattwil Wattwil is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg (Wahlkreis), Toggenburg in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland, located along the Thur (Rhi ...
line, and * (Wattwil–)
Ebnat-Kappel Ebnat-Kappel is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg (Wahlkreis), Toggenburg in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Kappel is fir ...
KrummenauNesslau-Neu Sankt Johann line, and that previously owned by the original SOB located predominantly in
Central Switzerland Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug. Central Switzerland is one of the NUTS 2 s ...
: *
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 ...
Pfäffikon SZ line, * Pfäffikon SZ– Freienbach SOB
Wollerau Wollerau is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Höfe District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It lies on the upper Zürichsee. Geography Wollerau has an area, , of . Of this area, 56.9% is used for agricultural purposes, ...
SamstagernSchindellegi-FeusisbergBiberbruggAltmattRothenthurmBibereggSattel-AegeriSteinerberg
Arth-Goldau Arth-Goldau railway station () is a railway station in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Schwyz and Arth, municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth. The station is an important ...
line, and *
Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and Districts of Switzerland#Schwyz, district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. Histor ...
–Biberbrugg–Schindellegi-Feusisberg–Samstagern–
Wädenswil Wädenswil (locally often called ''Wättischwiil'', ''Wädischwiil'' or ''Wädi'') is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality located in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Z� ...
line. Since 2006, SOB also owns Wattwil station and the railway from Wattwil to
Ebnat-Kappel Ebnat-Kappel is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg (Wahlkreis), Toggenburg in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Kappel is fir ...
, which until then belonged to
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 ...
. The railway stations of
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
, St. Gallen, and Pfäffikon SZ, and the railway tracks between St. Gallen St. Fiden–St. Gallen, Wattwil (except railway station)–
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 Arth-Goldau–
Luzern Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
are owned by Swiss Federal Railways, but are used by SOB for its services. In total, the SOB network measures , and comprises the following lines: * Romanshorn – St. Gallen St. Fiden () * St. Gallen – Wattwil – Nesslau-Neu St. Johann () * Rapperswil – Pfäffikon SZ (
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 ...
) () * Pfäffikon SZ – Arth-Goldau (, including common with Wädenswil–Einsiedeln) * Wädenswil – Einsiedeln () The
adhesion railway An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train, and is the most widespread and common type of railway in the world. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. Since the vast majority of railw ...
network spreads over mountainous terrain, with a maximum
slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a Line (mathematics), line is a number that describes the direction (geometry), direction of the line on a plane (geometry), plane. Often denoted by the letter ''m'', slope is calculated as the ratio of t ...
of 50
The phrase per mille () indicates parts per thousand. The associated symbol is , similar to a per cent sign but with an extra zero in the divisor. Major dictionaries do not agree on the spelling, giving other options of per mil, per mill, pe ...
(5 %) between Wädenswil/Pfäffikon SZ and Biberbrugg, and between Rothenthurm and Arth-Goldau. The lowest altitude on the SOB network is found at
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
( a.s.l.), and the highest at Biberegg ( a.s.l.), between Rothenthurm and Sattel-Aegeri. The highest elevation on the section between Nesslau-Neu St. Johann and St. Gallen is reached near Degersheim ( a.s.l.). The network is mostly a
single-track railway A single-track railway is a railway where trains traveling in both directions share the same track. Single track is usually found on lesser-used rail lines, often branch lines, where the level of traffic is not high enough to justify the c ...
, with intermittent double-tracks ( in total) present in sections where trains cross regularly. The entire network is
electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...
since 1939.


Infrastructure

The direct connection from
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
() via
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 ...
() towards
Lake Lucerne Lake Lucerne (, literally 'Lake of the four Waldstätte, forested settlements' (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), , ) is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. Geography The lake has a compli ...
(), which follows the Alpine foothills, was achieved by numerous civil engineering works. These consist of a series of
viaducts A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
and tunnels. Engineering structures account for one eighth of the total SOB rail network. They comprise: * 177 bridges spanning a total of , and * 19 tunnels through of mountains. One of the viaducts, the high and long Sitter Viaduct (SOB) near St. Gallen Haggen, is the highest railway bridge in Switzerland. It is also the longest bridge on the SOB network and was built between 1908 and 1910. Other notable viaducts are the Glatttal Viaduct ( long, high) near Herisau station, and the Wissbach Viaduct ( long, high) between Degersheim and Schachen. Many bridges of the SOB network were constructed by BT. The longest tunnel on the SOB network is the long Wasserfluh Tunnel between Brunnadern- Neckertal and
Lichtensteig Lichtensteig is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Lichtensteig was founded by the counts of Toggenburg in the early 13th century, first mentioned in 1228 as ''Lie ...
, with 10.4‰
grades Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...
. The tunnel was constructed between 1905 and 1910. The second longest tunnel is the Bruggwald Tunnel between St. Gallen St. Fiden and Wittenbach, having a length of and a slope of 12‰. It was built between 1907 and 1910. Most tunnels of the SOB network belonged to BT previously. The long
Ricken Tunnel The Ricken Tunnel () is an long rail tunnel under the Ricken Pass in eastern Switzerland. It is on the Swiss Federal Railway Uznach–Wattwil railway line, Uznach–Wattwil line, between Kaltbrunn railway station, Kaltbrunn station and Wattwil r ...
on the Uznach–Wattwil line, used by the SOB operated '' Voralpen Express'' and S4 service of St. Gallen S-Bahn, belongs to
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).


Rolling stock

In the 1990s, the former Südostbahn (SOB) ordered four two-piece NPZ (''Neuer Pendelzug''; English: "new commuter train") sets (RBDe 566 + ABt), which were delivered from the first production series in 1995, bearing numbers RBDe 566 400-403. Initially, the SOB opted not to convert any intermediate cars for use with these trainsets. Thus, the SOB DVTs differed from those of the SBB CFF FFS by the addition of a first class compartment. The motor coaches of the NPZ sets, however, were identical to those of SBB CFF FFS. The SOB later converted several intermediate cars to elongate their trainsets (three-/four-car sets). The NPZ first class control cars (ABt) existed for the two types of RBDe 566 that SOB owned at that time (RBDe 566 071-076 ex BT and RBDe 566 077-080 ex original SOB of the type also used by SBB CFF FFS). Until 2019, nine second class control cars (BDt) were used for the ''
Voralpen-Express The ''Voralpen-Express'' (''VAE'') is a named train connecting small to medium-sized cities and villages in Central Switzerland, Central and Eastern Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland on a scenic route, carrying this name since 1992. It is operated ...
'' sets with Re 456,
Re 446 Re or RE may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment * '' ...Re'', a 2016 Indian Kannada-language film * ''Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft'', a German encyclopedia of classical scholarship * ''Resident Evil'', a horror game ...
or Re 420 (the latter occasionally
leased A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the Lessor (leasing), ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are l ...
from SBB-CFF-FFS)
locomotives A locomotive is a rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for longer and heavier freight train ...
. After the merger of the original SOB with BT, the four NPZ sets were repainted in 2003 in the
livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
of the new SOB, with the sides of the vehicles painted light and dark gray, and the nose and border between side and roof painted red. They operated throughout the SOB network as RBDe 566 077-080. The NPZ sets were later replaced by Stadler
FLIRT Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving body language, or spoken or written communication between humans. It is used to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with another person and for amusement. Flirting can change ...
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 genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
s (four-car-sets), delivered between 2007 and 2013 (RABe 526 041-526 063). The latter were painted in the most recent SOB livery: silver, with red window band, and light gray doors. Additional FLIRT-III four-car-sets were delivered between 2019 and 2021 (RABe 526 001-526 006). The FLIRT/FLIRT-III sets operate as
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 ...
service, but also as extension units during peak-hours on
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 ...
lines, i.e., for the
named train In the history of rail transport, dating back to the 19th century, there have been hundreds of named passenger trains. The following is a list of named trains. Lists of these have been organized into geographical regions. Trains with numeric na ...
s ''Voralpen-Express''/''Treno Gottardo''/''Aare Linth'', for which new
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
-red painted ''
Traverso The Western concert flute can refer to the common C concert flute or to the family of transverse (side-blown) flutes to which the C flute belongs. Almost all are made of metal or wood, or a combination of the two. A musician who plays the flute ...
'' eight-car EMU sets (RABe 526 101/201-526 117/217) started operations between 2019 and 2021. Some of the FLIRT/FLIRT-III sets are named after mountain peaks along SOB operated lines. The names are indicated near the ends of the trainsets.


Naming

In
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, it is common customs to name
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 ...
(e.g. SBB RABe 501, RABDe 500, RABe 514) and
locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
s (e.g. SBB Ae 6/6, Re 6/6, Re 450, Re 460). Several of Südostbahn's four-car EMUs are named after Swiss mountains. The name, along with a line drawing of the mountain's crest line and its highest
elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
in meters above sea level (), are indicated near the ends of the trainset. The table below summarizes all named SOB trainsets:


Services


InterRegio

Südostbahn (SOB) operates
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 ...
(IR) services as
named train In the history of rail transport, dating back to the 19th century, there have been hundreds of named passenger trains. The following is a list of named trains. Lists of these have been organized into geographical regions. Trains with numeric na ...
s ''Voralpen-Express'', ''Treno Gottardo'', and ''Aare Linth''. Due to the
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 ...
, the Swiss rail network offers passengers timely connections at most railway stations. Since 2018, most InterRegio lines in Switzerland are numbered and color-coded for more clarity.


''Voralpen-Express''

From 1992 to 2013, ''Voralpen-Express'' ( English: " Prealps Express") was jointly operated with the
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), and it continued as a
regional train Regional rail is a public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connecting smaller cities a ...
between St. Gallen and
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
. It is since operated solely by SOB, and the trains turn around in St. Gallen. Between 2013 and 2019, ''Voralpen-Express'' ran under its own train category (''VAE''). It is now again classified as InterRegio (unnumbered) after it was briefly categorized as Panorama Express (PE). The name ''Voralpen-Express'' is still indicated on
platform display A platform display, destination display or train describer (British English) is supplementing the destination sign on arriving trains giving passengers an advance information. Historically they did only show the next destination and sometimes the ...
s and mentioned during train departure announcements at the platform. ''Voralpen-Express'': – Luzern – – – – – – – – – – – – St. Gallen ''Voralpen-Express'' runs mainly on tracks of the SOB network but
uses Use may refer to: * Use (law), an obligation on a person to whom property has been conveyed * Use (liturgy), subset of a Christian liturgical ritual family used by a particular group or diocese * Use–mention distinction, the distinction betwee ...
tracks owned by Swiss Federal Railways between Lucerne and Arth-Goldau, and between Rapperswil and Wattwil (including the long
Ricken Tunnel The Ricken Tunnel () is an long rail tunnel under the Ricken Pass in eastern Switzerland. It is on the Swiss Federal Railway Uznach–Wattwil railway line, Uznach–Wattwil line, between Kaltbrunn railway station, Kaltbrunn station and Wattwil r ...
on the Uznach–Wattwil line).


''Treno Gottardo''

'' Treno Gottardo'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
for " Gotthard train") is jointly operated by SOB and
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 ...
and runs entirely on the network owned by the latter. It connects the city of
Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...
, in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland, alternately with the cities of
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
and
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 ...
, both located in the German speaking part of the country. Trains to/from Basel reverse direction at Lucerne (dead-end station). It was launched in December 2020, but trains turned around at Bellinzona until spring 2021 due to construction work between Bellinzona and Locarno at that time. – Basel SBB – – Luzern – Arth-Goldau – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Locarno – Zürich HB – – Arth-Goldau – Schwyz – Brunnen – Flüelen – Erstfeld – Göschenen – Airolo – Ambri-Piotta – Faido – Lavorgo – Bodio TI – Biasca – Castione-Arbedo – Bellinzona – Cadenazzo – Tenero – Locarno ''Treno Gottardo'' follows the scenic route of the Gotthard Railway. This "old route" crosses the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
through the ca. long
Gotthard Tunnel The Gotthard Tunnel (, ) is a railway tunnel that forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Saint-Gotthard Massif in order to bypass the St Gotthard Pa ...
between
Göschenen Göschenen (, ) is a village and municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. It sits at the northern end of the Gotthard tunnel. The Göschenen riots (1875) saw Urner troops opening fire on Italian miners demonstrating for better working c ...
( a.s.l.) and
Airolo Airolo (''Airöö'' in Lombard, in ) is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Geography Airolo is located in Leventina valley and the Lepontine Alps, on the southern flank of the St. Gotthard ...
( a.s.l.). It uses a series of spiral loops and horseshoe curves (partly in tunnels) to quickly gain
altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...
, or to lose altitude on the other side of the tunnel, respectively. All
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 ...
and
EuroCity EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...
trains instead use the long
Gotthard Base Tunnel The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT; , , ) is a railway tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland. It opened in June 2016 and full service began the following December. With a route length of , it is the world's longest railway and deepest traffic tunn ...
since its opening in 2016.


''Aare Linth''

The named train ''
Aare Linth The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...
'' was launched in December 2021. It connects
Chur '' Chur (locally) or ; ; ; ; ; ; or ; , and . is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, town of the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of the Grisons and lies in the Alpine Rhine, Grisonian Rhine Valley, where ...
, the capital of Canton
Grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...
, with the Swiss capital of
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
. The trains reverse direction at
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 ...
mainstation (Zürich HB), which is a
cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet. Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...
. The train is named after the
Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...
and
Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Linthal, Glarus, village of Linthal in the mountains of the cantons of Switzerland, canton of canton of Glarus, Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee (Züri ...
rivers, which it follows/crosses on its journey. ''Aare Linth'' is operated by SOB in cooperation with
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 ...
; it runs entirely on the Swiss Federal Railways network. Stadler "
Traverso The Western concert flute can refer to the common C concert flute or to the family of transverse (side-blown) flutes to which the C flute belongs. Almost all are made of metal or wood, or a combination of the two. A musician who plays the flute ...
" trainsets operate on this InterRegio line except during
rush hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
, when higher-capacity
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) ...
of SBB CFF FFS is used. – Bern – – – – – – Zürich HB – – – Pfäffikon SZ – – – – – – – – – Chur


''Alpenrhein-Express''

In December 2024, the new named train '' Alpenrhein-Express'' began operations using Stadler "Traverso"
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 ...
. It connects
Chur '' Chur (locally) or ; ; ; ; ; ; or ; , and . is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, town of the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of the Grisons and lies in the Alpine Rhine, Grisonian Rhine Valley, where ...
with St. Gallen. The train is named after the Alpine Rhine (), a portion of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
. The ''Alpenrhein-Express'' runs mainly over the Chur–Rorschach railway line of Swiss Federal Railways, which follows the Alpine Rhine. This line was upgraded to dual tracks prior to the opening of the service, allowing for a half-hourly InterRegio service. The ''Alpenrhein-Express'' operates hourly, while another IR13 service of Swiss Federal Railways operates in between. The latter run between Sargans via St.Gallen to Zurich. The same trainsets used for the ''Alpenrhein-Express'' continue as S81 service of St. Gallen S-Bahn (see below), providing hourly direct services between Chur and
Appenzell Ausserrhoden Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the gove ...
's capital Herisau. – St. Gallen – – – – – – Sargans – Bad Ragaz – Maienfeld – Landquart – Chur


S-Bahn

Südostbahn (SOB) operates the following
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 ...
services in Central and Eastern Switzerland: *
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 (). ...
: ** – – – – – – * St. Gallen S-Bahn: ** – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ** Rapperswil – – – Uznach – – – – – – – – – – ( – – – – – – – , only during off-peak hours) ** – – – – – – – Ziegelbrücke – Schänis – Benken – Uznach – Schmerikon – Blumenau – Rapperswil ** St. Gallen – St. Gallen Haggen – Herisau *
Zürich S-Bahn 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 and portions of neighbouring cantons (Aargau, Glarus, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, ...
: ** – Biberbrugg – – – – – ** Einsiedeln – Biberbrugg – Schindellegi-Feusisberg – Samstagern – – – – – – – Rapperswil * Not formally part of an S-Bahn network: ** (''
March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
shuttle'') Ziegelbrücke – – – – (operates only Monday–Friday during peak-hours)


See also

*
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 ...


References


External links

*
''Voralpen-Express'' website




{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudostbahn Railway companies of Switzerland Transport in the canton of Glarus Transport in the canton of Lucerne Transport in the canton of Schwyz Transport in the canton of St. Gallen Transport in the canton of Zürich Canton of Schwyz Südostbahn