Gotthard advice

[hotel_mode]

I’ve got a free day in Milan next week and have a round trip planned via the Old Gotthard line and then over the Furka route to Brig and back via Simplon.

Time only permits one of these options, either get off Gotthard line at Goschenen and head to Oberalppass before returning on the MGB to Andermatt or continue on Gotthard to Erstfeld and then back to Andermatt missing the Oberalp pass.

Which one should I do?

 

[Mag_seven]

I’ve got a free day in Milan next week and have a round trip planned via the Old Gotthard line and then over the Furka route to Brig and back via Simplon.

Time only permits one of these options, either get off Gotthard line at Goschenen and head to Oberalppass before returning on the MGB to Andermatt or continue on Gotthard to Erstfeld and then back to Andermatt missing the Oberalp pass.

Which one should I do?

Personally I'd do the line down to Erstfeld as I don't find the Oberalp pass all that inspiring. Others may disagree though!

 

[30907]

Difficult one. It's a shame to miss the Wassen bit, but the zig-zag climb out of Andermatt to Naetschen is also spectacular.
TBH, though it's many years since I did it, I found the Simplon the least exciting of the Alpine routes. So, unless you are desperate to tick off the Simplon, or you've done the Gotthard Base Tunnel already, and bearing in mind that there's limited daylight, here's an alternative:

0810 Milano-Goeschenen-Andermatt (I presume this is the train you will use anyway, not the 0532!)
Andermatt-Grengiols (for the spiral tunnel) or Moerel and back.
Andermatt-Naetschen or Oberalppass and back
Andermatt-Erstfeld-Arth-G (lake section is better northbound)
Arth-Milano in the restaurant car of the 1950 EC through the base tunnel.

There's some leeway in this schedule as the connection at Arth doesn't "work" - it is actually quicker to go Erstfeld-Bellinzona but that means you are spending the whole day on regional trains.

Whichever you decide, it's winter holiday time round Andermatt so there look to be some additional trains on the Oberalppass.

See post below for a better idea.

 

[axlecounter]

Good suggestion above. Another you could also do is Milano-Göschenen-Andermatt-Oberalppass-Brig-Domodossola-Locarno-Bellinzona-Milano
Or Milano-Erstfeld-Arth-Goldau-Rigi-Luzern-Interlaken-Lötschberg-Brig-Domodossola-Milano

Strictly answering your question though, if you’re interested in an historical route with great engineering, bridges and tunnels and a populated mountainous valley landscape you should surely go for Erstfeld. If instead you prefer the high mountain bare landscape, a route which climbs a typical Swiss pass...Oberalp is your thing.

 

[30907]

Ignore my previous, I've now had a proper look at timetables.

Using the 0810 Milano C as above, you can do both options and be in Brig for EC39 which gets you to Milan at 1737.

Doing the whole journey in reverse at 0823 (or 0723 if you prefer) -1750 works just as well - in fact, I would recommend it, as there is no sensible backup to EC39, whereas there are 3 consecutive Erstfeld-Milano REs in the afternoon, so you don't need to worry about connections.

 

[Groningen]

Domodossola - Milano is not that exciting as Domodossola to Locarno. Than to Giubiasco, Luino, Gallarate and back to Milano. That last train does not arrive at the main station.

 

[30907]

Domodossola - Milano is not that exciting as Domodossola to Locarno. Than to Giubiasco, Luino, Gallarate and back to Milano. That last train does not arrive at the main station.

Agreed, but it takes considerably longer and the OPs plan already uses nearly all the daylight hours.

 

[Groningen]

Daylight should be good from about 7.30 till 18 hours in Italy.

 

[hotel_mode]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to take the clockwise version of 30907's ideas above to avoid having trouble getting back. Also looks like there's more ways to cut bits off if it goes wrong early on.

Is there any benefit of adding an hour by continuing past Oberalppass to Sedrun?

Also the Goschenen to Andermatt train appears to be a replacement bus, I assume the SBB journey planner is still correct?

 

[Mag_seven]

Also the Goschenen to Andermatt train appears to be a replacement bus, I assume the SBB journey planner is still correct?

According to the "Railway traffic information" section of the SBB Website (item 182)

Construction work: Andermatt - Göschenen
Between Andermatt and Göschenen, engineering work is in progress.

A replacement bus service is operating Andermatt - Göschenen.
Departure of the buses in Andermatt from the station square
Duration from 14.01.2019 07:30 until 15:02.2019 18:30.

The online timetable will not be adapted. Please pay attention to the information in this announcement.

http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/help.exe/en?tpl=showmap_external&tracking-marketingurl=166

 

[hotel_mode]

According to the "Railway traffic information" section of the SBB Website (item 182)



http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/help.exe/en?tpl=showmap_external&tracking-marketingurl=166

That was the bit I meant. Its not clear that by not being ‘adapted’ the online timetable shows the train times hasn’t been changed and is therefore wrong or if the buses run to the same times as the train so is correct.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The Andermatt-Göschenen section is pretty slow on the train, and the road snakes up the same gorge as the railway, so I imagine the bus timings could easily be the same as the train.

 

[30907]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to take the clockwise version of 30907's ideas above to avoid having trouble getting back. Also looks like there's more ways to cut bits off if it goes wrong early on.

Is there any benefit of adding an hour by continuing past Oberalppass to Sedrun?

Also the Goschenen to Andermatt train appears to be a replacement bus, I assume the SBB journey planner is still correct?

My memory of the Sedrun side of the pass is of it being relatively straight along the north side of the Rhine Valley. So on a fine sunny day (as forecast!) it's worth it but may be a bit on an anticlimax.
Note that Googlemaps shows a fair amount of avalanche shelter.

If you go for the 0723 train then you have an hour to spare in the schedule.

PS the bus through the gorge down to Goeschenen is probably faster than the train!

 

[Mag_seven]

That was the bit I meant. Its not clear that by not being ‘adapted’ the online timetable shows the train times hasn’t been changed and is therefore wrong or if the buses run to the same times as the train so is correct.

I rate the SBB site for train (or in this case rail replacement bus!) times so I would go with what it states!

 

[axlecounter]

If it states it’s not adapted it means the replacement bus are not inserted into the system and consequently neither are their travel times.
In this case it most likely means: the bus will take the same time as the train, but we can’t be sure, you’ve been warned so don’t complain afterwards

In other situations for example it just means they haven’t got the time to adapt it (something unplanned happened).

 

[bahnause]

Only some of the trains between Andermatt and Göschenen are replaced by busses. The trains leaving Göschenen at xx:04 and leaving Andermatt at xx:29 are still running.

 

[hotel_mode]

That's awesome thank you!

 

[hotel_mode]

So next question is... how long do the Swiss hold connections at Brig?

Italian operating just generally slack so 10 mins late on a 7 min connection.

Scrap that. 10 mins station overtime at Domodossola and now stopping at every signal so no chance

 

[Groningen]

Hmm i do not think that waiting on connections is an option. Arrival from Andermatt is at 33 in Brig and departure at 44 to Domodossola. And remember you arrive in front of the station of Brig.

 

[30907]

So next question is... how long do the Swiss hold connections at Brig?

Italian operating just generally slack so 10 mins late on a 7 min connection.

Scrap that. 10 mins station overtime at Domodossola and now stopping at every signal so no chance

So how did the rest of the day go, apart from the +60?

 

[hotel_mode]

Fabulous thank you. All worked great.

The MGB was the highlight and the bit from Andermatt to Oberalppass was out of this world beautiful in the snow.

Thanks for all the advice.

Swiss day pass for £37 booked in advance is bargain of the decade too.

 

[30907]

Envious and delighted (or v.v.).

 

[axlecounter]

Thanks for reporting!