Verkehrsbetriebe ZürichVerkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ), the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its current name in 1950. The VBZ owns and operates trams, trolleybuses, buses, and a funicular. It also operates, but does not own a further funicular, a rack railway, and the Stadtbahn Glattallight rail system. All of VBZ's passenger services are operated within the tariff an...
Zurich S-BahnThe Zurich S-Bahn (German: S-Bahn Zürich) 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, St. Gallen, Thurgau and Zug), with a few lines extending into or crossing the territory of southern Germany. The network is one of many commuter rail operations in German speaking countries to be described as an S-Bahn. The lines connect with services of Aarga...
TramA tram (also known as a tramcar, or a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit type in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks laid on public streets, although some trams run on sections of track in their own segregated right-of-way. Trams are a type of light rail and are included within this broader category. However, they differ from it in their frequent integration into urban streets, lower traffic signal priority, coexis...
Rack railwayA rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. This allows the trains to operate on steep gradients of 100% (45 degrees) or more, well above the 10% (5.7 degrees) maximum for friction-based rail. The rack-and-pinion mechanism also provides more controlled braking and reduces the effects of snow or ice on ...
TrolleybusA trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tram (in the 1910s and 1920s), road tram or simply trolley) is an electric bus that draws power from dual overhead lines (generally suspended from roadside posts) using spring-loaded or pneumatically raised trolley poles. Two wires, and two trolley poles, are required to complete the electrical circuit. This differs from a tram or streetcar, which normally uses the track as the return path, needing only one wire and one pole (or...
ZurichZurich (German: Zürich; Alemannic German: Züri; see below) is the 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. As of the end of 2024, the municipality had a population of 436,551, while the urban area was home to 1.45 million people (2020), and the Zurich metropolitan area had a total population of 2.1 million (2020). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and Zurich's main rai...
Lake ZurichLake Zurich (German: Zürichsee, Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈtsyːrɪçˌzeː]; Alemannic German: Zürisee) is a lake in Switzerland, that extends southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or Zürichsee may refer to the entire lake or specifically to the section downstream of the Hurden peninsula and Seedamm causeway (between Pfäffikon and Rapperswil). In the latter case, the upstream part of the lake is called Obersee (lit. 'Upper Lake'), while the lower part is sometim...
Zürcher VerkehrsverbundThe Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV), lit. 'Zurich Transport Network' is the largest public transportation network in Switzerland. It covers the canton of Zurich and adjacent areas. All modes of public transportation (rail, light rail, bus, trolleybus, lake passenger liner, funicular, an aerial tram) within a chosen number of fare zones can be used freely with a ticket that is valid for a certain amount of time (e.g., 1 hour, 24 hours) or with monthly/annual subscriptions.
BusA bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for charter purposes, or through private ownership. Although buses typically carry between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type is the single-deck rigid bus, with double-decker an...
SwitzerlandSwitzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located at the intersection of Central, Western, and Southern Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, and Italy to the south. Switzerland is geographically divided among the Swiss Alps, the Swiss Plateau, and the Jura Mountains; the Alps cover most of the country's territory, whereas the majority of its 9 million people are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts many of th...
FunicularA funicular ( few-NIK-yoo-lər, f(y)uu-, f(j)ə-), or funicular railway, is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. ...
LimmatThe 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 Aare. The confluence is located north of the small town of Brugg and shortly after the mouth of the Reuss. The main towns along the Limmat Valley downstream of Zurich are Dietikon, Wettingen, and Baden. Its main tributaries are the Linth, Wägitaler Aa and Jona, all via Lake Zur...*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.