S-Bahn (/ˈɛsbɑːn/ ⓘESS-bahn,German:[ˈɛsˌbaːn]ⓘ;lit. 'S-train') is a type of hybridcommuter rail andrapid transit service, originating inGerman-speaking countries. In general, S-Bahn systems link suburbs with the city centre at moderate speeds, while continuing across the urban core over a central high-frequency corridor where multiple lines converge, where they provide a rapid means of travel across the city. The nameS-Bahn derives from the German termsSchnellbahn (lit. 'rapid train'),Stadtschnellbahn (lit. 'rapid city train'), andStadtbahn (lit. 'city train'; not to be confused with the modernStadtbahn).
The first such network, theBerlin S-Bahn, began operation in December 1930 and inspired similar systems across Europe. The term "S-Bahn" has since become a generic term for hybrid suburban–urban rail networks, with counterparts such as theS‑tog in Denmark,S‑Trein/Train S in Belgium,Esko/S‑lines in the Czech Republic,Linee S in Italy, andSKM in Poland. The S-Bahn is also recognized as atrain category in several European countries. The concept also influenced systems outside the German-speaking world, including theRéseau Express Régional (RER) in Paris and its counterparts in other cities.
There is no single, universally accepted definition of an S-Bahn system. In general, in the outer parts of a city, S-Bahn trains operate in a manner similar to conventionalcommuter rail, linking outlying towns with the city centre at moderate speeds. Unlike most commuter railways, however, S-Bahn services typically continue beyond the city’s main railway station, crossing the urban core on a high-frequency corridor where multiple routes converge. Stations along these central sections are spaced farther apart than on a typicalrapid transit system (U-Bahn), enabling higher average speeds and providing a rapid means of travel across the city, even for passengers not travelling to or from the suburbs.
TheCopenhagen S-tog, for example, operates at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph), while theRhine-Main S-Bahn operates at up to 140 km/h (87 mph). In densely populated areas, S-Bahn lines can link multiple urban centres rather than serving a single core city, as with theRhine-Ruhr S-Bahn, which interconnects the cities and suburbs of theRuhr region.
Many large S-Bahn systems have a dedicated underground or elevated trunk line through the central city, with multiple suburban branches feeding into it. TheBerliner Stadtbahn, the main east–west axis of Berlin’s S-Bahn, is a prominent example and is also considered a tourist attraction.[1]
Many larger S-Bahn systems have at their core a corridor of exclusive trackage that individual suburban branches feed into, creating a high frequency trunk corridor. In many cases, this central corridor is a dedicated grade-separated line in the city centre with close stop spacing and a high frequency, similar to metro systems. A good example of this isBerliner Stadtbahn in Berlin's S-Bahn, which is regarded as a tourist attraction.[2]
Outside city centres, S-Bahn services often run on existing local or regional railway infrastructure, sometimes parallel to long-distance tracks. In some cases, new infrastructure has been purpose-built, such as theKøgebugt (Køge Bay) line in Copenhagen, constructed between 1971 and 1983,[3] or the S-Bahn tunnel between Hamburg Central Station and Altona, completed in 1979.[4]
S-Bahn systems are typically powered by overhead lines or a third rail; in Hamburg, both systems are used depending on the line.[5]
Station spacing and service frequency vary widely. In suburban sections, stations may be more than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) apart and headways may extend to 30 or 60 minutes during off-peak hours. In contrast, central trunk lines in larger systems can operate at intervals as short as two minutes.
Rolling stock reflects this hybrid function: interiors are designed with standing room for those making short trip, but usually offer more seating comfort than metro trains.
S-Bahn systems are typically integrated into a city’s wider public transport network, with unified ticketing and convenient interchanges. In cities with both S-Bahn and metro systems, tickets are often valid across both, and interchange stations are common. Examples include theS-Bahn Mitteldeutschland, which servesLeipzig andHalle, and theRostock S-Bahn, a smaller regional system
The nameS-Bahn is an abbreviation of the GermanStadtschnellbahn ("city rapid railway") and was introduced in December 1930 in Berlin. The name was introduced at the time of the reconstruction of the suburban commuter train tracks— the first section to be electrified was a section of theBerlin–Stettin railway fromBerlin Nordbahnhof toBernau bei Berlin station in 1924, leading to the formation of the Berlin S-Bahn.[6]
The main lineBerliner Stadtbahn ("Berlin city railway") was electrified with a 750 voltthird rail in 1928 (some steam trains ran until 1929) and the circle lineBerliner Ringbahn was electrified in 1929. The electrification continued on the radial suburban railway tracks along with the timetable moving to a rapid transit model with no more than a 20-minute headway per line where a number of lines overlapped on the main line. The system peaked during the1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin with trains scheduled at least every 2 minutes.[6]
The idea of heavy rail rapid transit was not unique to Berlin. Hamburg had an electric railway between thecentral station (Hauptbahnhof) andAltona which opened in 1906, and in 1934 the system adopted theS-Bahn label from Berlin.[citation needed] In the same year in Denmark, Copenhagen'sS-tog opened its first line. In Austria, Vienna had itsStadtbahn main line electrified in 1908 and also introduced the termSchnellbahn ("rapid railway") in 1954 for its planned commuter railway network, which started operations in 1962. TheS-Bahn label was sometimes used as well, but the name was only switched toS-Bahn Wien in 2005.[citation needed]
As forMunich, in 1938 the Nazi government broke ground for an S-Bahn-like rapid transport system inLindwurmstraße near what is nowGoetheplatz station on line U6. The system was supposed to run through tunnels in the city centre. The planning process mainly consisted of the bundling and interconnecting of existing suburban and local railways, plus the construction of a few new lines. Plans and construction work - including the building shell of Goetheplatz station - came to a very early halt duringWorld War II and were not pursued in its aftermath. Very extensive nowadays, Munich's existing S-Bahn system, together with the first twoU-Bahn lines, only began to operate prior to the1972 Summer Olympics.
The termS-Bahn was a registeredwordmark ofDeutsche Bahn until 14 March 2012, when, at the request of a transportation association, theFederal Patent Court of Germany ordered its removal from the records of theGerman Patent and Trade Mark Office.[7] Prior to this Deutsche Bahn collected a royalty of 0.4 cents per train kilometer for the use of the term.
These systems are called 市郊铁路, which starts with an S inpinyin, meaning "suburban railway". In the early history ofPeople's Republic of China, these trains were the slow, stopping trains between a city and its suburbs, with only scarce frequency and limited capacity, not the same sense of a German S-Bahn. They were gradually abolished over time as the railway improved.
However, the modern form of 市郊铁路, in the sense of a rapid urban-suburban railway, has returned in 2011, when theBeijing Suburban Railway started to use S-prefixed numbers and integrated into the urban transport system. Since then, the concept has spread to various metropolitan cities in China.
The "S" stood for "station". Just before the opening of the first line in theCopenhagen S-train network, the newspaperPolitiken on 17 February 1934 held a competition about the name, which in Danish became known asDen elektriske enquete or "The electrical survey" (as the Copenhagen S-trains would become the first electrical railways in Denmark). But since an "S" already was put up at all the stations, weeks before the survey, the result becameS-tog which means "S-train".[8] This was also just a few years after the S-trains had opened in Berlin and Hamburg. Today the Copenhagen S-trains uses six lines and serves 86 stations, 32 of them are located inside the (quite tiny) municipality borders. Each line uses 6 t.p.h (trains per hour) in each direction, with exception of the (yellow) F-line. The F-line has departures in each direction every five minutes, or 12 t.p.h. service .[9]
These systems are calledSKM, short ofSzybka Kolej Miejska, meaningRapid Urban Railway. It corresponds to the German termStadtschnellbahn which means City Rapid Railway, although in Poland, the S meansfast instead ofcity.
The first system in Poland was inTricity, created in 1952, followed byWarsaw where the current form began in 2005.
The history of theS-Bahn in present-day Germany begins in the 19th century inPrussia.
In 1882, the growing number ofsteam-powered trains around Berlin prompted the Prussian State Railway to construct separate rail tracks for suburban traffic.[citation needed] TheBerliner Stadtbahn connected Berlin's eight intercity rail stations which were spread throughout the city (all but theStettiner Bahnhof which today is a pure S-Bahn station known asBerlin Nordbahnhof; as the cityStettin today is Polish citySzczecin). A lower rate[clarification needed] for the newly foundedBerliner Stadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahn (Berlin City, Circular and Suburban Rail) was introduced on 1 October 1891. This rate and the growing succession of trains made the short-distance service stand out from other railways.[citation needed]
The second suburban railway was theHamburg-Altonaer Stadt- und Vorortbahn connecting Hamburg withAltona andBlankenese. The Altona office of the Prussian State Railway established the electric powered railway in 1906.[10]
The beginning of the 20th century saw the first electric trains, which in Germany operated at 15,000V onoverhead lines. TheBerliner Stadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahn instead implementeddirect currentmultiple units running on 750 V from athird rail. In 1924, the first electrified route went into service. The third rail was chosen because it made both the modifications of the rail tracks (especially in tunnels and under bridges) and the side-by-side use of electric and steam trains easier.[10]
To set it apart from the subterraneanU-Bahn, the termS-Bahn replacedStadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahn in 1930.[citation needed]
The Hamburg service had established analternating current line in 1907 with the use of multiple units withslam doors. In 1940 a new system with 1200 V DC third rail and modernelectric multiple units withsliding doors was integrated on this line (on the same tracks). The old system with overhead wire remained up to 1955. The other lines of the network still used steam and later Diesel power. In 1934, theHamburg-Altonaer Stadt- und Vorortbahn was renamed as S-Bahn.[citation needed]
The oldest and largest S-Bahn system inAustria is theVienna S-Bahn, which predominantly uses non exclusive rails tracks outside ofVienna. It was established in 1962, although it was usually referred to asSchnellbahn until 2005. The white "S" on a blue circle used as the logo is said to reflect the layout of the central railway line in Vienna. However, it has now been changed for a more stylized version that is used all through Austria, except Salzburg. The rolling stock was blue for a long time, reflecting the logo colour, but red is used uniformly for nearly all local traffic today.
In 2004, theSalzburg S-Bahn went into service as the firstEuroregion S-Bahn, crossing the border to the neighbouring towns ofFreilassing andBerchtesgaden inBavaria. The network is served by three corporations: theBerchtesgadener Land Bahn (BLB)(S4), theAustrian Federal Railways (German:Österreichischen Bundesbahn / ÖBB)(S2 and S3) and theSalzburger Lokalbahn (SLB)(S1 and S11) and . The Salzburg S-Bahn logo is only different one, it is a white S on a light blue circle.
In 2006 theregional train line in theRhine Valley in thestate ofVorarlberg has been renamed toVorarlberg S-Bahn. It is a three lines network, operated by theMontafonerbahn and the ÖBB. It was later expanded. Presently, a frequent service, the S1, operates betweenBludenz toLindau-Reutin (D) viaBregenz. In addition, an hourly service, S3 (ÖBB), connectsBregenz withSt. Margrethen (CH), and another service (S2) operates betweenFeldkirch (A),Schaan (FL) andBuchs SG (CH). TheMontafonerbahn runs the S4.[11]
TheS-Bahn Steiermark has been inaugurated in December 2007 inStyria, built to connect its capital cityGraz with the rest of the metropolitan area, currently the following lines are active: S1, S11, S3, S31, S5, S51, S6, S61, S7, S8 and S9. The network is operated by three railway companies: theGraz-Köflacher Bahn (GKB) (lines: S6, S61 and S7), the ÖBB (lines: S1, S3, S5, S51, S8 and S9) and theSteiermärkische Landesbahnen (StB) (lines: S11 and S31).
In December 2007 as well theTyrol S-Bahn opened, running fromHall in Tirol in the east toInnsbruck Central Station andTelfs in the west and from Innsbruck to Steinach am Brenner.Class 4024EMUs are used as rolling stock on this network.
In 2010 theS-Bahn Kärnten was opened in thestate ofCarinthia and currently consists of 4 lines operated by ÖBB.
The youngest network is theS-Bahn Oberösterreich in the GreaterLinz area of the state ofUpper Austria, which was inaugurated in December 2016. It is a 5 line system operated byStern und Hafferl and the ÖBB.
Since 2015, the trains of theBrussels Regional Express Network (French:Réseau Express Régional Bruxellois,RER; Dutch:Gewestelijk Expresnet, GEN) of theNMBS/SNCB belong to train categoryS and are referred to asS train (Dutch: 'S-trein', French:train S, German: 'S-Züge').[12] In 2018, local trains of NMBS/SNCB in and aroundAntwerp,Ghent,Liège andCharleroi changed to the train categoryS train as well.[13]
There are stopping trains starting with S, which stands for 市郊 , for commuters around big cities, for example, theBeijing Suburban Railway.
In theCzech Republic, integratedcommuter rail systems exist inPrague[14] andMoravian-Silesian Region. Both systems are calledEsko, which is howS letter is usually called in Czech.Esko Prague has been operating since 9 December 2007 as a part of thePrague Integrated Transport system.Esko Moravian-Silesian Region began operating on 14 December 2008 as a part of the ODIS Integrated Transport system serving the Moravian-Silesian Region. Both systems are primarily operated byČeské dráhy. Several shorter lines are operated by other companies.
Copenhagen S-train connects the city centre, other inner and outer boroughs and suburbs with each other. The average distance between stations is 2.0km, shorter in the city core and inner boroughs, longer at the end of lines that serve suburbs. Of the 86 stations, 32 are located within the central parts of the city. Some stations are located around 40 km from Copenhagen city centre. For this reason the fares vary depending on distances. The one-day passes which the tourists buy are valid only in the most central parts of the S-train system. On weekdays each line has a departure every 10 minutes with the exception of the F-line, on which a train departs every five minutes. Where several lines converge on a common piece of track there could be as many as 30 trains per hour in each direction. On Sundays the seven lines are reduced to four lines, but all stations are served at least every 10 minutes. The three railway stations atAmager have a local service that is the equivalent of the S-trains.
TheCopenhagen Metro opened in 2002 as a complement to the already existing S-train system. Copenhagen's S-train system is the only one in the country. Outside Denmark, in cities where both exist, is it far from unusual that a metro system later has been complemented with S-trains. The branch towardsKøge (the southernmost S-train station in Copenhagen's S-network) has a rather unique history, as it was built in the 1970s where no previous railway ever had existed.
The trains of the Berlin and Hamburg S-Bahn systems ran on separate tracks from the beginning. When other cities started implementing their systems in the 1960s, they mostly had to use the existing intercity rail tracks, and they still more or less use such tracks.
Thecentral intercity stations ofFrankfurt,Leipzig,Munich andStuttgart areterminal stations, so all four cities have monocentric S-Bahn networks. The S-Bahn trains use as their core segment a tunnel under the central station and the city centre (e.g.Munich S-Bahn Stammstrecke and the upcomingZweite Stammstrecke).
The high number of large cities in theRuhr area promotes a polycentric network connecting all cities and suburbs. TheS-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr, as it is called, features few tunnels, and its routes are longer than those of other networks. The Ruhr S-Bahn is the only S-Bahn network to be run by more than one corporation in Germany, and theSalzburg S-Bahn holds a similar distinction in Austria. Most Swiss S-Bahn systems are multi-corporation networks, however.
Most German S-Bahn networks have a unique ticket system, separated from theDeutsche Bahn rates, instead connected to the city ticket system used for U-bahns and local buses. The S-Bahn ofHanover, however, operates under five different rates due to its large expanse.
One S-Bahn system is no longer in operation: theErfurt S-Bahn which operated from 1976 until 1995 and was an 8.6 km (5.3 mi) single-line diesel-powered system which consisted of four stations fromErfurt Central Station to Erfurt Berliner Straße station in the then newly built northern suburbs ofErfurt.
There are several S-Bahn or S-Bahn-like systems in planning, such as theAugsburg S-Bahn (network plan), theLübeck S-Bahn (network plan) and the tri-countryBodensee S-Bahn.
TheStadtbahn Karlsruhe (atram-train network) uses the green "S" logo for stations in the outskirts and has its lines indicated by an "S" in front of the line number, but does not refer to itself asS-Bahn. The logo also can't be found on the trains, contrary to most other systems where it's placed somewhere on the sides or at the front of the trains. A new city-centre tunnel opened at the end of 2021, however the blueU-Bahn logo is not used either for it. To mark those tunnel stations, a yellow U is used, which is unique and can only be found there.
Despite their names, theOrtenau S-Bahn (Offenburg) and theDanube-Iller Regional S-Bahn (Ulm/Neu-Ulm, opened 2020) areRegionalbahn services.
The following networks are currently in operation:
TheMilan S Lines is a network consisting of 12 lines beginning with an S, serving the metropolitan area ofMilan.
The only railway line passing through thePrincipality of Liechtenstein is theFeldkirch–Buchs railway line, which connects with the Austrian rail network inFeldkirch and with the Swiss network inBuchs SG. In June 2008, theSwiss canton ofSt. Gallen, theAustrian state ofVorarlberg, and the Principality of Liechtenstein signed an agreement for a project to upgrade this line (and the surrounding ones) and to increase the rail traffic. The project, namedS-Bahn Liechtenstein [de] was approved by Liechtenstein and Austria in aLetter of Intent signed in April 2020[15] and under that plan, it was to be fully realised by 2027 and would have cost an estimated€187 million.[16] That plan was however rejected by 62.3% of Liechtenstein voters in a referendum on 30 August 2020.[17][18]
As of the December 2023 timetable change, an S-Bahn service, the S2 ofVorarlberg S-Bahn, operates betweenFeldkirch (A),Schaan (FL) andBuchs SG (CH). There are three operational railway stations in Liechtenstein along the Feldkirch–Buchs line:Schaan-Vaduz (which serves the capitalVaduz),Forst Hilti andNendeln. A fourth station,Schaanwald, was closed in 2013.
Established in 2002, the WarsawSzybka Kolej Miejska (SKM), translating to 'Rapid Urban Rail,' functions as a combined rapid transit and commuter rail system within theWarsaw metropolitan area. Operated by the city-owned company Szybka Kolej Miejska Sp. z o.o. and managed by thePublic Transport Authority in Warsaw, SKM utilizes shared general railway lines supervised byPKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe. The system serves 55 stations[19] and features 4 key lines - S1, S2, S3, and S4, connectingWarsaw Chopin Airport with the city center, additionally reaching to areas not covered by themetro network.
Fast Urban Rail Tricity is an analogous SKM system servingGdańsk,Gdynia, andSopot, providing urban rail transit in thePoland'sTricity.
S-Bahn is also used in theGerman-speaking part of Switzerland.Swiss French networks use the termRER with line numbers prefixed with an R, e.g. as R2, except for theLéman Express inGreater Geneva that uses the prefix L followed by the line number ("L" for "Léman-Express"), e.g. L2. S-Bahn-style services in theItalian andRomansh speaking parts of Switzerland also use, like theMilan suburban system, the "S" prefix, although in Italian such networks are calledrete celere (lit. 'fast network') instead of S-Bahn.
The oldest network in Switzerland is theBern S-Bahn, which was established in stages from 1974 onward and has adopted the term S-Bahn since 1995. It is also the only one in Switzerland to use a coloured "S" logo. In 1990, theZürich S-Bahn, went into service. As of 2022, this network comprises 32 services, covering a large area in Switzerland (and parts of southern Germany). Further S-Bahn services were set up in the course of theBahn 2000 initiative inCentral Switzerland (a collaborative network ofS-Bahn Luzern andStadtbahn Zug), andEastern Switzerland (S-Bahn St. Gallen).
TheBasel trinational S-Bahn services theBasel metropolitan area, thus providing cross-border transportation into both France and Germany. A tunnel connectingBasel's two large intercity stations (Basel Badischer Bahnhof andBasel SBB) is planned asHerzstück Regio-S-Bahn Basel (lit. heart-piece Regio-S-Bahn Basel).
An international S-Bahn network also existsts across theSwiss-Italian border, in the SwissCanton of Ticino and theItalian state ofLombardy. Services are operated byTreni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TILO), a joint venture between Italian railway companyTrenord and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS).
TheRER Vaud ofLausanne and theLéman Express ofGeneva serve the area aroundLake Geneva (fr. Lac Léman). TheLéman express network expands across theSwiss-French border. It is the largest cross-country S-Bahn network of Europe.[20]Léman express was launched in December 2019 and is operated by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) andSNCF.
Another transborder network for theLake Constance (Bodensee) area, connecting up to four nations, is under discussion. This network would extend across theGerman statesBaden-Württemberg andBavaria, theAustrian stateVorarlberg, the Principality ofLiechtenstein (S-Bahn FL.A.CH), and theSwiss cantons ofAppenzell Ausserrhoden,Appenzell Innerrhoden,Schaffhausen,St. Gallen andThurgau. Possible names areBodensee-S-Bahn andAlpenrhein-Bahn. Presently, theBodensee S-Bahn only operates services around Lake Constance in Austria, Germany and Switzerland (without Liechtenstein).[17] It includes, among others, theS14 andS44 services of St. Gallen S-Bahn, which both connectKonstanz (D) withKreuzlingen andWeinfelden (CH). Since 2022, someS7 services continue fromRorschach (CH) to Bregenz (A) andLindau-Reutin (D).[21] Additional transborder services are planned.
TheChur S-Bahn provides services aroundChur, the capital of the alpineCanton ofGraubünden (Grisons) in south-eastern Switzerland.
TheAargau S-Bahn is a small network that services stations in the cantons ofAargau,Lucerne andBern.
TheRER Fribourg is a network centered atFribourg/Freiburg andBulle in theCanton of Fribourg, and extending into the cantons ofNeuchâtel andVaud, which is calledS-Bahn in German. It currently runs two beginning with RE, and 4 routes beginning with S.
Two unnumbered S-Bahn services (designated only with an "S"), one betweenSchaffhausen andErzingen (D), running on railway tracks owned byDeutsche Bahn (DB), and one between Schaffhausen andJestetten (D), opened in 2013. They are operated bySBB GmbH andTHURBO, respectively. Since December 2022, the Schaffhausen–Singen am Hohentwiel line is also serviced by SBB GmbH[22] As of the December 2023 timetable change, the three services ofSchaffhausen S-Bahn are numbered S62, S64 and S65.
Additionally, there are services designated "S" that are not part of any formal S-Bahn network. These include the S20, S21, and S22 operated by Swiss Federal Railways inSolothurn or theS27 operated by Südostbahn (SOB) betweenSiebnen-Wangen andZiegelbrücke.
Swiss S-Bahn services are operated mostly by theSwiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) but also by private railway companies, such asAppenzeller Bahnen (AB),BLS AG,Forchbahn (FB),Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS),Rhätische Bahn (RhB),Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU),Südostbahn (SOB) orZentralbahn (ZB).
Rail transport in Switzerland, including S-Bahn systems, is noteworthy for its coordination between services due to theclock-face schedule. Due to the proximity of the various S-Bahn systems in Switzerland, services of one network often offer connections to services of neighboring networks. S-Bahn services are used bycommuters andtourists (some services call nearby tourist attractions, such as theRhine Falls or theSwiss Museum of Transport).
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