Trains • Switzerland
Schweizerische Bundesbahnen
SBB CFF (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen / Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses) is Switzerland's national rail company. With 3,173 km of tracks — the country's largest network — it links Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and all the major Swiss hubs with strict hourly schedules.
SBB CFF, the Swiss rail backbone
The Swiss federal railways were founded in 1902 with the mission of nationalising Switzerland's main private companies. Based in Bern, SBB is wholly owned by the Swiss Confederation and the cantons. The national network counts 3,173 km of tracks, including 1,800 km of main lines and several iconic tunnels: the Gotthard Base Tunnel (57 km, opened in 2016), the Simplon and the Lötschberg. The company was ranked No. 1 in Europe for usage frequency, service quality and safety in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index.
A systematic clock-face timetable
SBB's strength is its clock-face timetable: on the main axes (Zurich-Bern-Geneva, Basel-Zurich, Lausanne-Geneva, Lucerne-Zurich), at least one train runs every 30 minutes from 5 a.m. to midnight, often every quarter of an hour at peak times. The main train types: InterCity (IC), InterRegio (IR), RegioExpress (RE) and S-Bahn (urban and suburban in 9 conurbations). National average punctuality exceeds 92% within 3 minutes.
SBB fares and season tickets
SBB uses a single per-kilometre tariff: the price is the same whether you travel by IC, IR or RE. Discounted Supersaver tickets cost 30 to 70% less but are tied to a specific train. The General Abonnement (AG) gives unlimited access to all trains, buses, boats and trams in the country (CHF 3,995/year in 2nd class). The Half-Fare Card (CHF 165/year) cuts every ticket by 50%.
Travel guides
Schweizerische Bundesbahnen
- Zurich
- Genève
- Berne
- Bâle
- Lausanne
- Lucerne
- Saint-Gall
- Lugano
- Winterthour
- Schaffhouse
- Fribourg
- Neuchâtel
- Sion
