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| Zurich S-Bahn | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 ZVV logo on the door of an SBB CFF FFS RABe 514. | |||
| Overview | |||
| Locale | Zurich, Switzerland | ||
| Transit type | S-Bahn | ||
| Number of lines | 32 | ||
| Number of stations | 171[1] | ||
| Annual ridership | 215,000,000 (2024)[2] | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 1990; 35 years ago (1990) | ||
| Operator(s) | SBB CFF FFS Thurbo SZU SOB FB AVA | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 380 km (240 mi)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge Somedual gauge track | ||
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TheZurich S-Bahn (German:S-Bahn Zürich) system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover theZVV area, which comprises the entirecanton of Zurich and portions of neighbouring cantons (Aargau,Glarus,Schaffhausen,Schwyz,St. Gallen,Thurgau andZug), with a few lines extending into or crossing the territory of southernGermany. The network is one of manycommuter rail operations in German speaking countries to be described as anS-Bahn. The lines connect with services ofAargau S-Bahn to the West,Basel S-Bahn (only inWaldshut) andSchaffhausen S-Bahn to the North,St. Gallen S-Bahn to the East, andLucerne S-Bahn/Zug Stadtbahn to the South, as well as withInterCity,InterRegio andRegioExpress services at majorjunction stations.
The entireZVV 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 providesfirst class commuter travel; about a quarter of seats on each train are first class.[3]
Before the construction of the Zurich S-Bahn, most trains to Zurich terminated atZürich Hauptbahnhof (lit. 'Zurich Main Station'), apart from theSihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn lines which terminated atZürich 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 theWipkingen Tunnel andZürich Oerlikon railway station. The Hauptbahnhof was also connected via theLetten Tunnel to theLake Zurich right-bank railway line to the southeast. This line also stopped atStadelhofen station at the opposite side of the city centre, before passing through the single track tunnel toLetten station, then turning 180 degrees to reach the Hauptbahnhof. This line travelled 5 km (3.1 mi) to cover the 1.5 km (0.93 mi) distance between Stadelhofen and the Hauptbahnhof.[4]
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-calledGold Coast Express (German:Goldküstenexpress) on 26 May 1968 betweenZurich Stadelhofen andRapperswil viaMeilen along the wealthy north shore ofLake Zurich, popularly known as theGold Coast. This development came about because, afterWorld War II, 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.[5]
Thecanton of Zurich 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 betweenKuesnacht andHerrliberg and betweenStäfa andUerikon, 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.[5]
The newGold Coast Express service operated a regular schedule every half-hour, with the total journey time for the distance of 36 kilometres (22 miles) reduced from the previous 60 to 40 minutes. The most striking feature of the improved railway was the three-car claret-colouredRABDe 12/12electric multiple units. These had good acceleration and braking performance and immediately became known as "Mirages", after thejet fighters. The modern features of the Mirages included automatically closing doors, which allowed short stops at stations and a reduction in travel time.[5]
On 30 May 1959 some voters put two proposals to the Zurich city council. The first would have allocatedCHF 200,000 for a study on the construction of a two-lineU-bahn (underground railway) with lines fromEnge toKloten and fromAltstetten toTiefenbrunnen; 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 aZurich U-Bahn. 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.[6] In a referendum on 14 February 1960, 69.8% of voters voted "no" to the proposal.[7]
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 andS-Bahn system, with the latter being a railway network centred on a tunnel under the city centre, which would connect to existing suburban railway lines. FromZurich Airport, an U-Bahn line would run viaGlattbrugg,Oerlikon, Hirschenwiesen, Central,Zürich Hauptbahnhof,Stauffacher andAltstetten toDietikon. Much of the line would have run above ground. The second part of the proposal was the "Zürichberg network", a line from Zürich Hauptbahnhof via a new tunnel under the Zürichberg toDietlikon to the northeast (not to be confused withDietikon, 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.[8] On 20 May 1973 this proposal was rejected in a referendum, with the "no" vote as high as in the previous referendum.[9] At the referendum, little opposition had been expressed against the proposed S-Bahn lines.[10]
Rail is a major element inZurich's public transport system, and its upgrade required close collaboration between the canton of Zurich andSwiss Federal Railways (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.[11]
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 withOerlikon, while in the eastern option it would have tunneled under the Zürichberg and ended nearDietlikon. The cantonal Council chose the eastern option by 85 votes to 36.[10]
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:
On 27 May 1990, the S-Bahn was brought into operation and theZürcher 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 380 kilometres (236 miles) rail network, and peak hour express trains were added.
The first stage of the expansion addressed the chronic overcrowding of trains on theS12 route between Dietikon and Zurich, requiring improvements in theLimmat 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 newS3 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 theS9 route viaKnonau 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 byS6,S7 andS16 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 ofRail 2000), the S3 service was extended from Dietikon through theHeitersberg Tunnel toAarau with a new station atMellingen. On 10 December 2006,S15 was opened betweenRapperswil andBirmensdorf following line improvements. It was extended from Birmensdorf toAffoltern am Albis on 9 December 2007. South of Zurich sections of theSihltalbahn were doubled. On the rural feeder lines aroundWinterthur (S33 toSchaffhausen,S35 toWil andS41 toBülach) services were increased to run every half hour. TheS8 was extended from Winterthur toWeinfelden, providing with the existingS30 services two trains an hour on the line. In addition, the S16 was extended every hour to Schaffhausen, stopping after Winterthur only atAndelfingen andNeuhausen am Rheinfall. Moreover, on the line from Winterthur to Wil a new station opened at WinterthurHegi.
Following a successful referendum, a project was established to create a new route between the Hauptbahnhof andOerlikon 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 asDurchmesserlinie Zürich (lit. 'diametral line'), and was for use of both long-distance and S-Bahn trains. The project also included a third set of underground platforms underZürich Hauptbahnhof, a new elevated route through the western approaches and two extra platforms at Oerlikon.
Breakthrough of the newWeinberg 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.[12][13][14]
These changes included the diversion of linesS2,S8 andS14 through the Weinberg Tunnel. These lines previously ran viaZürich Wipkingen station, and in order to prevent that station losing service,S24 was extended fromZürich Hauptbahnhof station via Wipkingen toZürich Oerlikon station. At the same time, the formerGlarner Sprinter, a two-hourly train service from Zürich Hauptbahnhof toLinthal, was replaced with a new hourly S-Bahn service, theS25. These major changes resulted in a number of other changes, with service to various stations being provided by different lines.[14]
As of the December 2021 timetable change,[update] 32 services comprise the Zurich S-Bahn network.[15] The lines are numbered (2‒21, 23‒26, 29‒30, 33, 35‒36, 40‒42) using the prefix "S", which is typical forS-Bahn systems. With the exception of linesS13,S17,S18,S26,S29,S30,S33,S35,S36,S40, andS41, all routes run through or terminate atZurich main station. TheS27 service betweenSiebnen-Wangen andZiegelbrücke, operated bySOB during peak-hours, is neither part of the Zurich S-Bahn nor theSt. 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 aTaktfahrplan, orclock-face scheduling 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 atjunction stations.[16]
| # | Route | Notes | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2 | Zürich Flughafen –Oerlikon–Zürich HB–Thalwil–Pfäffikon SZ–Ziegelbrücke | Non-stop betweenEnge and Thalwil, Thalwil andHorgen, Horgen andWädenswil,Richterswil and Pfäffikon SZ,Siebnen-Wangen and Ziegelbrücke. | SBB |
| S3 | (Bülach–)Hardbrücke–Zürich HB–Effretikon–Wetzikon | Operates between Hardbrücke and Bülach only during peak-hours. | SBB |
| S4 | Zürich HB–Adliswil–Langnau-Gattikon (–Sihlwald) | Operates every 20 minutes between Zürich HB and Langnau-Gattikon; one train per hour continues to Sihlwald. | SZU |
| S5 | Zug–Affoltern am Albis–Zürich HB–Uster–Wetzikon–Rapperswil–Pfäffikon SZ | Stops only at selected stations between Zürich HB and Wetzikon. Non-stop betweenStadelhofen and Uster, Uster and Wetzikon, Rapperswil and Pfäffikon SZ. | SBB |
| S6 | Baden AG–Regensdorf-Watt–Hardbrücke–Zürich HB–Uetikon | SBB | |
| S7 | Winterthur–Kloten–Hardbrücke–Zürich HB–Meilen–Rapperswil | Non-stop between Zürich Stadelhofen and Meilen. Non-stop between Winterthur and Effretikon (except late in the evening). | SBB |
| S8 | Winterthur–Wallisellen–Oerlikon–Zürich HB–Thalwil–Pfäffikon SZ (–Ziegelbrücke) | Non-stop between Winterthur and Effretikon. | SBB |
| S9 | (Schaffhausen–)Rafz–Hardbrücke–Zürich HB–Uster | Alternate trains operate between Schaffhausen and Rafz. Currently serves two locations in Germany. | SBB |
| S10 | Zürich HB–Zürich Triemli–Uetliberg | On weekdays, a frequent shuttle operates between Zürich HB and Triemli with a half-hourly train continuing to Uetliberg; at weekends trains run throughout every 20 minutes. | SZU |
| S11 | Aarau–Lenzburg–Dietikon–Zürich HB–Zürich Stettbach–Winterthur–Seuzach/ | Non-stop between Winterthur and Stettbach; trains operate alternately to Sennhof-Kyburg (Wila during peak-hours) and Seuzach. | SBB |
| S12 | Brugg AG–Zürich HB–Zürich Stettbach–Winterthur–Schaffhausen/ | Non-stop between Winterthur and Stettbach; trains operate alternately to Schaffhausen and Wil. | SBB |
| S13 | Wädenswil–Samstagern–Einsiedeln | SOB | |
| S14 | Affoltern am Albis–Zürich HB–Oerlikon–Uster–Wetzikon–Hinwil | SBB | |
| S15 | Niederweningen–Hardbrücke–Zürich HB–Uster–Wetzikon–Rapperswil | Non-stop between Stadelhofen and Uster, Uster and Wetzikon. | SBB |
| S16 | Zürich Flughafen–Hardbrücke–Zürich HB–Herrliberg-Feldmeilen (–Meilen) | Operates to Meilen in the evenings only | SBB |
| S17 | Dietikon–Bremgarten–Bremgarten West–Wohlen | Trains run every half-hour between Dietikon and Wohlen; on weekdays additional trains from Dietikon to Bremgarten West give a train every 15 minutes on that section. | AVA |
| S18 | Zürich Stadelhofen–Zürich Rehalp–Forch–Esslingen | Atram-train service that operates over theZurich tram network as far as Rehalp, stopping at selected tram stops. Off-peak trains then run every 15 minutes betweenZürich Stadelhofen FB and Forch, with alternate trains continuing to Esslingen. At peak periods four trains per hour run to Esslingen not stopping between Rehalp and Forch, whilst another four provide a stopping service to Forch. | FB |
| S19 | (Koblenz–Baden–)Dietikon–Zürich HB–Oerlikon–Effretikon (–Pfäffikon ZH ) | Non-stop between Altstetten and Dietikon, Dietikon andWettingen. Serves the section Koblenz - Dietikon Monday-Friday and the section Effretikon - Pfäffikon ZH during peak hours. | SBB |
| S20 | Uerikon–Zürich HB–Hardbrücke | Peak-hour service. Non-stop between Stadelhofen andKüsnacht, Küsnacht and Meilen, Meilen andMännedorf. | SBB |
| S21 | Regensdorf-Watt–Hardbrücke–Zürich HB | Peak-hour service. No stop at Seebach station. | SBB |
| S23 | Zürich HB–Zürich Stadelhofen–Winterthur–Frauenfeld–Romanshorn | Peak-hour service. | SBB |
| S24 | Thayngen/–Wipkingen–Zürich HB–Thalwil–Zug | Trains operate alternately to Thayngen (stops only at selected stations) and Weinfelden. Late in the evening, trains end in Effretikon. | SBB |
| S25 | Zürich HB–Pfäffikon SZ–Ziegelbrücke–Glarus–Linthal | Hourly service. Serves only selected stops between Zürich HB and Näfels-Mollis. Half-hourly service between Ziegelbrücke and Schwanden GL in combination withS6 ofSt. Gallen S-Bahn. | SBB |
| S26 | Winterthur–Bauma–Rüti ZH | Commonly called theTösstalbahn. | Thurbo |
| S29 | Winterthur–Stein am Rhein | Thurbo | |
| S30 | Winterthur–Frauenfeld–Weinfelden (–Romanshorn–Rorschach) | Hourly service. Half-hourly service between Winterthur and Weinfelden in combination withS24 | Thurbo |
| S33 | Winterthur–Andelfingen–Schaffhausen | Hourly service. Half-hourly service in combination withS12 | SBB |
| S35 | Winterthur–Wil SG | Hourly service. Half-hourly service in combination withS12 | Thurbo |
| S36 | Waldshut–Bad Zurzach–Bülach | Hourly service | Thurbo |
| S40 | Rapperswil–Pfäffikon SZ–Samstagern–Einsiedeln | Continues hourly asS6 ofSt. Gallen S-Bahn between Rapperswil and Schwanden GL. During peak-hours, it is coupled/uncoupled with theVoralpen Express (portion working), and operates asInterRegio between Rapperswil andSt. Gallen. | SOB |
| S41 | Winterthur–Bülach | Thurbo | |
| S42 | Zürich HB–Othmarsingen–Muri AG | Peak-hour service. | SBB |
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:[17]
Two Zurich S-Bahn services cross the international border intoGermany. Service S9 crosses German territory between Rafz and Schaffhausen (both in Switzerland), calling at the German stations ofLottstetten andJestetten. 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 atWaldshut station in Germany.
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 ofRail 2000 for long-distance trains, which would require further adjustments for the S-Bahn.
In the longer term, a vision for 2030 namedProjekt 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 ofdouble-deck stock in order to provide more seating for longer journeys.[18]
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 betweenHardbrücke andRegensdorf stations, as opposed to the indirect route via the existing Käferberg Tunnel and Oerlikon station that is currently used by service S6.[19]
As of December 2024[update], Zurich S-Bahn uses the followingrolling stock:
Media related toS-Bahn Zürich at Wikimedia Commons
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