Matt's Spring/Summer Interrail

[m4tt]

Hi everyone,

Following on from my ALR report over the summer, I figured I would do another trip write up for my Interrail journey over the next few months. This will be my first major international trip so any tips or advice from those with experience would be welcomed.

A 3 month 1st class pass came as a birthday present a little while ago during the 50% off sale which was too hard to turn up. Unfortunately with the pass having to be activated by the 10th April it happens to fall over GCSE exam season, albeit the ticket still provides great value for trips either side.

My first exursion will be to Switzerland for a few nights at the start of April, staying near Zurich. I have a few ideas for where to go but any suggestions would be great to see. I have a strong passion for landscape photography so anything that could incorporate that would be great to.

The RhB really intrigues me so likely will spend 2-3 days in that direction. Kandersteg and the Lötschberg railway are also high up on the list, as well as the journey through to Innsbruck in Austria, especially in Öbb's business class!

I also have a few questions as well -
- How often am I going to encounter freight or intercity diversions on the Lötschberg railway? Whilst the new Stadler Flirts on the route are nice, a bit of variety would certainly spuce up my photos
- How busy are services going to be during half term in switzerland? busy enough to justify the £5 reservation fee?
- Any good model shops in switzerland? Ideally with a second-hand offering as I would imagine they would not come cheap!
- What is the charter operational side like in Switzerland? I see plenty of photos of historic locos and units yet can never find any info about them.

I will have a few days at the end of May/start of June to travel as well as just shy of a month from mid June to July to travel as well. Scandanavia, Czechia, Slovenia and Germany are possibles, as are many others. I'll be sure to report on wherever I go.

Thank you for reading and I hope you will like to reports to come,
Matt

 

[30907]

1. Loetschberg: not often unless there are engineering works.
2. Reservations and Switzerland do not belong in the same sentence! If you are travelling solo and in 1st you will have no problems except perhaps the obvious peaks of Friday/Sunday evening. Pentecost (Whit) Monday, 29 May this year, is a holiday in most of Europe, so will replace the Sunday as the busy day. Half term is a UK peculiarity so not likely to affect you.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Sounds great, looking forward to reading.

 

[eastwestdivide]

…staying near Zurich. I have a few ideas for where to go but any suggestions would be great to see. I have a strong passion for landscape photography so anything that could incorporate that would be great to.

The RhB really intrigues me so likely will spend 2-3 days in that direction…

Zurich along the lakes to Chur is nice, but another hour on the RhB and you can be at Filisur for a short walk to the Landwasser viaduct viewpoints. There’s freight on that section too (from memory, when it runs it’s on the opposite half hour to the hourly passenger service). Also worth a trip up the Arosa line (street running in Chur) to Langwies for another mega viaduct, and I’ve spent an enjoyable day walking down among the spirals to Bergün from Preda, a bit further on from Filisur.
Check the RhB website to see if there’s any heritage stuff running - last summer they had a crocodile on a Filisur/Davos shuttle.
edit: croc from May: https://www.rhb.ch/en/erlebniswelt-bahn/dampf-nostalgiefahrten/historische-fahrten
(German page not available in English)

 

[m4tt]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Quick question, is it worth picking the new units or traditional coaches when travelling on the RhB? Do they compare comfort wise? Going to try and cover the lines to Scuol-Tarasp, Tirano and Aorsa so I can experiment with a range of traction.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Never found any of the RhB stock uncomfortable (but I may have been distracted by the scenery!)
The older hauled stock (on a lot of Tirano services) has enormous drop-down windows, and the new Alvra push-pull sets on Chur/StMoritz services have a photography compartment* with electric drop-down windows

*Edit: photo compartment normally at the loco end, as the Alvra sets are push-pull with a driving coach at the other end

 

[Techniquest]

When I did the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano, I sat in the non-tourist coaches, the EMU thing up front. As eastwestdivide says, they have huge drop-down windows which I took full advantage of. I don't seem to have my Switzerland photos with me (I have at base but not at mobile control) so I can't yet share photos, but I would not waste my money on the tourist coaches. Mind you, I did it out of season, when it was quiet, so in the middle of summer that may not be good advice!

 

[m4tt]

Thursday 6th April -

Today started early, 5am. A quick drive over to London Luton got me there in time for the 07:30 Easyjet departure for Geneva. This flight was fully booked today, albeit I was still able to snag a cheap price for one of the last remaining seats. Quite a contrast to my last flight to Geneva which took out less than 50. I’ve always found Geneva Airport to be easy to pass through, especially with the integration of the station below.

Short queues at immigration allowed me to make a short connection - the 11:05 to Rorschach, taking me as far as Olten. This service arrived as a pair of RABDe 500 but our service was just formed of the rear half. It’s a shame we didn’t take both sets as 1st class got very busy after we left Geneva Main Station, giving me a seatmate for the journey. Not long after leaving, we got a surprise visit from SBB’s transport police - equipped with pistols and a dog! I’ve now managed to see more of them than I have BTP onboard services sadly… This was then followed up by a ticket check as well as a menu for the onboard restaurant which I did not partake in. The ride was very smooth, yet slow. I would compare the ride quality to that of Avanti’s Pendolino however we never really reached the 125mph that the 390s tend to cruise at. I did find them quieter though.

The train was prompt and before long we were arriving into Olten where I checked into the Hotel Amaris to unload some weight from my bag. Check-in could be done online providing a ‘digital’ key which enabled access to both the room and the night door. I still wanted a physical key however so I went to reception to pick one up. Thankfully I was not relying on a tight turn-around as the man in front chose to babble on for a good 15 minutes about anything other than checking in. However, once he left it was simple and efficient to claim a card and make my way up to my room on the top floor. A quick freshening up and I was back on my way, half an hour later than planned due to a train cancellation. EC7 was my next train, originating in …. The front 3 carriages consisted of 1st class accommodation with armchair-esque seats along with a buffet car behind. Once again tickets were inspected just as we left, albeit this time not at seat offerings from the bar. Tomorrow I’ll have to make sure to visit one and see if they offer anything reasonably priced. Passenger numbers thinned out until we reached Interlaken Ost, the final call for this service.

A quick photo break and a look out onto the river killed enough time to catch the 16:35 BOB to Lauterbrunnen? The steep ascent was matched by a steep price if you were going further north than I was. I believe a return to (Tallest station place) is in the region of £200! I couldn’t find the option to claim the interrail discount at the ticket machine in Olten so opted to just pay the full price of £15 for my 40 minute round trip. Upon arrival I was greeted with towering cliff faces and tourists. Lots of tourists. I thought that this might have been a quieter time than peak summer or winter but I guess it offers a year-round attraction to many. The crowds thinned out the further out the village I went; it appeared that many came for a picture of the waterfall and ditched, missing out on the amazing scenery just down the road. Upon returning to the centre, I was surprised to find all the shops and restaurants closed! At 18:30 the shop shut and I couldn’t find any eateries serving. There goes my plan for dinner! Disappointed, I returned to the station where another BOB unit, I believe built by Stadler, took me back down to Interlaken, joining with the portion from Grindelwald. It took less than 30~ seconds to arrive, couple and depart. I guess they must be simpler than our UK equivalents.

The early start was taking its toll on me so I opted to take a slightly earlier connecting service, the 19:30 BLS service to Spiez to catch a northbound IC for Olten. I chose the upper floor which provided great views before the sun set. A prolonged wait at Bern to reverse resulted in us arriving over 10 minutes late, not very Swiss-like...

Overall, I found ticket checks to be almost instant upon departure as well as the overall presence of staff to be reassuring. My local line being the south WCML means that it is almost unheard of to get your ticket checked and as a result leaves you feeling a little less ‘secure’.

I hope you enjoyed reading and look out for my next update. I'll try and get pictures up by tommorow morning

 

[Techniquest]

A great start to the trip, although that early start cannot have been welcome!

 

[eastwestdivide]

BOB-land (Bernese Oberland) and tourists - yes it’s amazing how things thin out as you get out of the villages.
EC7 - isn’t that one of two EC services from Hamburg to Switz?

 

[m4tt]

EC7 - isn’t that one of two EC services from Hamburg to Switz?

Yep, although I doubt many do the whole journey!

 

[m4tt]

Friday 7th April -

Another early start of 6am today, allowing me to grab a quick breakfast before heading to the station. Being so early, I was the only one there which made for quite a peaceful wakeup. A croissant or two and some scrambled egg was the choice for me today, which was overall rather nice.

I thought the trains into Zurich at peak time on a weekday would be busy but to my surprise I had no trouble finding a seat in a bay of 4. Standard class did not look too busy either. The 06:59 originated in Biel/Bienne and was formed of a single RABDe 500 yet managed the loading fine. Our approach into Zurich took us past the sprawling depot where rolling stock from SBB, DB, ÖBB and more were awaiting duties. Hopefully I’ll be able to try an ICE fairly soon with one of their few services to/from Olten

We arrived a few minutes late into Zurich Hauptbahnhof which would normally worry me on an 8 minute connection time at a station like Birmingham New St but the organisation and layout here proved to me I had plenty of time. I like the concept of shopping centres underneath the station as it brings the sprawling concrete structure a bit of life and colour. My next train was the 07:38 SBB bound for Chur, operated by one of their new Twindexx units which I would argue provides one of the best onboard atmosphere’s for a modern train. I chose a seat upstairs at a table for 4; the train was not very busy. A ticket check was just after departure. Our route took us along lakes and in between mountains which provided a lovely backdrop as the sky began to lighten. One problem I do have with these trains however is the sheer brightness of the lights. I hope they get dimmed in the evening!

Arrival in Landquart was on time and once again, Switzerland’s connection based timetables enabled passengers to change trains to either Davos or Scuol, both leaving 5 and 8 minutes after the SBB IC from Zurich. This enabled me to join one of RhB’s new ‘Capricorn’ units on the 08:50 to Scuol-Tarasp. 1st class was at the front of the unit in very stylish seats with large, drop-down windows. I know many would complain/grumble as they replaced heritage loco hauled stock, but the ambiance on these units is second-to-none. We passed never-ending mountains and valleys, waterfalls seemingly around every turn, this route is simply stunning. The pace of the train is not too fast that you miss anything, but also not soo slow you feel as though you may as well walk, which definitely increases the appeal.

Our first major stop was Klosters Platz where all 3 platforms were filled with RhB units, once again allowing connections to just about everywhere. Looking to my left and just outside the station I can see 3 post buses, allowing integration between train and bas to serve smaller communities. I do wonder if something like this could be achieved back home with towns with infrequent services.

Departure from Klosters Platz took us to the Vereina tunnel. Spanning 17,000m, it took a fair bit of time to pass, including waits for other trains to pass inside. A unit, a freight train as well as a car transporter all went past within a span of 10 minutes, showing how well utilised such a route is despite its ruralness. I would like to see that type of project approved for the North of England!

We arrived into Sagliains where I alighted in order to change to one of RhB’s Regio services, the 10:02, also with a destination of Scuol-Tarasp. This service however was a loco-hauled set consisting of Ge 4/4 II locomotive 631, one 1st class car and three 2nd class cars at the rear. A misjudgment of where the train would stop left me having to make a brief jog to hop onboard. Surprisingly, the doors inside the carriage were locked, preventing me from sitting in the empty 1st class section. In the end the doors had already closed behind me, leaving me to sit on a fold down seat next to the bike rack. Things only got worse as we sped through Ftan Baraigla (My intended stop) as there was no request stop button in the vestibule area. In the end I had no choice but to stick on to Scuol.

I was rather glad that the doors did open on arrival following my sequence of mishaps, and I made sure to learn from my mistakes and pick the 2nd class coach towards the front of the train. The same locomotive, now shunting, took me back on myself to Ardez. This would have been the same train I would have caught from Ftan anyway so not all was lost! Ardez’s church and mountainous landscape made it a good place to wait for my next train, and set up a photo opportunity of a pair of RhB Capricorn’s. Temperatures were supposed to be far into the negatives around Scuol, yet the beaming sun ended up making me want to take my coat off! Shame I brought winter gloves all this way… Once again I found myself heading back to Scuol, only this time on purpose to allow me to board RE 1236 for the full journey back to Landquart.

This time I had the whole 1st class compartment to myself, allowing me to open the window fully to get some shots as we traced our way back. Tickets were checked along with a polite request to close the window. I assume this was to do with us about to pass through the long Vereina tunnel again. Probably best not to let too much of that air in. I find it interesting how RhB offers some little used stations status as request stops yet many we pass look well loved with little/no service at all! Another quick connection at Landquart put me back on another pair of RABDe 500s. Nothing particularly interesting about this leg, as well as my next one back to Olten to be honest. Just the usual extra legroom and 2-1 seating.

Once I’d freshened up, a return to Zurich HB was needed to connect to TGV’s Lyria service for Paris Gare De Lyon. I thought it would be wise to use this service as a domestic leg to Basel SBB to experience the train without paying the shocking passholder reservation of around £50! I was greeted at the door by a member of staff which was something SBB had not offered before, and made the visit feel slightly more personal. Everyone else appeared to stay downstairs in the three coaches of 1st class, granting me the whole upper floor of coach 1. Tickets were checked but no food or drink as SNCF feel that Interrail holders are best fitted in Standard Premiere rather than full out first class. If I had paid the £50 to go to Paris and still not received any complimentary food/drink I would have been pretty pissed. The journey was comfortable and the armchairs offered a generous recline, provided nobody too tall is sitting behind you. A connection at Basel SBB set me up nicely to try my first DB ICE 4, and my expectations were well met. I had the coach to myself which allowed me to take a bay of 4. The ride quality was super smooth, as was the lighting. The seats were comfortable and I especially liked having the cruising speed displayed on the onboard information screens. Whilst my journey only lasted 30 minutes, I could tell that I would choose one of these over its competitors on long distance routes.

Back in Olten, my hotel offers unobstructed views of the station below. I’ll give filming up here a go at some point.

I hope you enjoyed today's report. Photos will also be attached in due course. Please let me know what you think of them

Thanks

 

[m4tt]

RhB's Capricorn units

 

[m4tt]

Scenery - Scuol line

 

[m4tt]

DB

 

[m4tt]

Room with a view!

 

[30907]

Room with a view!

Thanks for the report.

The reason for the empty train into Zurich may have been that yesterday was Good Friday. I am not surprised about the quietness of the Engadine line - the duplicated trains along there are demanded by national policy rather than demand, it seems!

 

[m4tt]

Saturday 8th April -

2 early mornings have taken a toll on me, forcing me to have a later start to the day. Once again it fell to a pair of RABDe 500s to take me onto Zurich as IC 515, the 10:20 to Rorschach. This service took us into the lower level platforms, but it was still an easy change onto a slightly more interesting service. The IC 919 to Chur, featuring a panoramic coach as well as a buffet car. The larger windows and reclining chairs really made the coach a good pick over the regular coaches. My only critique would be that when the sun is out it can be very bright inside to the point where I wanted to lower the blinds, unfortunately defeating the point of carriage entirely. We picked up a 15 minute delay in Zurich for unknown reasons. An announcement was made onboard but only in German so the cause will remain ambiguous. My best guess was that it was a loco swap as I thought the coach moved backwards at one point, but that could have just been my imagination. Panoramic views over the lakes were stunning, but low clouds and a touch of rain did make for some hazy conditions as we approached Chur.

Our late running gave me less time to check out the station than I wanted, but still enough to make my connecting service, RhB’s 12:55 to Disentis/Mustér, consisting of a () Loco, two first class carriages, and a luggage car. We followed the Vorderrhein river for much of the journey. With crystal blue waters and rocky coastlines, the scenery was second-to-none as we snaked between mountains. The addition of a luggage car was well used as many joined with ski’s, one group even joined with a canoe!

Before long we arrived at Disentis/Mustér. Here marked the beginning of Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn’s territory, and where I boarded their 14:14 service bound for Andermatt. What made this train special was the addition of the Après ski bar, a fully decked out bar stocked with beers, wines and spirits, as well as a very energetic barman. Surprisingly, beer retailed at a cheaper price (5.50CHF) than SBB’s own offering aboard their intercity services, so I bought a few for the journey. Loading was quite light on departure but we picked up many skiers along the route, ending up with a full house with many standee’s towards the end of the trip. The ski bar is only running until April 10th, when it will be permanently withdrawn. A real shame as the large windows, loud music and an overall party atmosphere would be missing from the route. We climbed pretty much the whole journey, reaching land covered in snow until we approached Andermatt, where we lowered into the valley.

A quick toilet break and it was time to board another MGB service, the 15:37 to Visp. This train was formed of rather modern railcars, I presume built by Stadler although I can’t be sure. If anyone can confirm that would be great. 1st class was empty upon boarding and stayed that way for the majority of the journey, picking up passengers as we descended our way down the mountains. Seating was organised in a multi-height 2-1 arrangement, with seats raised above the wheels. The 2 ½ journey followed the path the Glacier Express takes, as had our journey over the multiple legs from Chur. I found that the services I took were much quieter than the Glacier services we passed, looking fully booked. This also avoids the rather hefty reservation fee, making the route more suitable for those on a budget.

Changing at Visp onto a late running pair of pendolinos from Milano turned out to be a mistake, being very busy, rather than catching the empty IC 2000 standing beside it. In the end I changed trains in Spiez to have a chance at getting a seat in the buffet car. Things got worse when I sat down to hear only drinks were on offer, still no food. Disgruntled, I got off at Olten and grabbed a takeaway pizza for the hotel room.

Today was a day focused on scenic journeys, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone. 1st class was much more calm and spacious, as many brought ski gear and other large items making standard quite cramped.

Hope you enjoyed today's report, pictures will follow soon.

 

[m4tt]

Ski bar

 

[m4tt]

Chur

 

[eastwestdivide]

That descent in Andermatt from the Oberalppass summit is spectacular. You get an aerial view of Andermatt station looking like a neat model railway and then it winds down the hillside in a series of S bends.
Did you spot the Dutch lighthouse at Oberalppass? A gift to the Swiss for looking after the Rhine I was told, as it’s close to the source of the river.

 

[m4tt]

That descent in Andermatt from the Oberalppass summit is spectacular. You get an aerial view of Andermatt station looking like a neat model railway and then it winds down the hillside in a series of S bends.
Did you spot the Dutch lighthouse at Oberalppass? A gift to the Swiss for looking after the Rhine I was told, as it’s close to the source of the river.

It was a really special journey, although the free flowing of alcohol likely was what made me miss the lighthouse. There was only barstools so it could have been beside me as we travelled.

 

[m4tt]

Sunday 8th April -

A restless night sleep resulted in a very early departure today, the 05:59 to Zurich Hauptbahnhof formed by another pair of RABDe 500s. It was quite a rush to make this service, arriving 3 minutes prior to departure only to find the train I had boarded was the 06:02 InterRegio to Zurich rather than my service. Being so early I forgot that the live departure website I was using was set to the next hour by mistake. My train was going from platform 4 instead. A jog back down the stairs between platforms got me on just as the doors closed.

No ticket check onboard, although I did see a few staff members. To be honest I doubt the number of passengers would have made it worth it anyway, I had the coach to myself.

Thanks to my coach stopping right next to the entrance for the underpass, I was able to make the 2 minute connection onto EC 307 with a destination of Bologna Centrale. This service provided new traction for me in the form of a SBB RABe 501 ‘Giruno’ unit. I went straight to the buffet car as there had been no time to grab anything previously at Olten or Zurich. Thankfully, they were serving food unlike last night so I ordered a croissant and a bottle of water. Swiss prices put a dent in my account with a price of almost 5 CHF for a bottle of water! I was too tired and thirsty to turn it down for a journey of quite a distance. At least the croissant was warm. Just before we arrived at Zug, I left the car and went back into 1st class. These units are unique in their formation with 11 smaller carriages that offer the ability to couple and form a mammoth 22 coaches long. To have such small coaches whilst also keeping a sensible capacity, seats can be found at multiple heights depending on their location with seats over the wheels being the highest. I had the coach to myself again, allowing me to watch the mountains go by as we sailed past lakes in peace. Passing through the Gothard base tunnel (The longest railway tunnel in the world!) we reached speeds of up to 150mph, considerably faster than through the countryside.

We arrived in Bellinzona on time with the sun just starting to reach into the valley. The station was just outside the town, although that didn’t stop me from going the wrong way out the station. Unfortunately, a mix of it being Easter Sunday as well as 8am meant nothing was open, poor planning on my part I will admit. However, this meant that the streets were completely empty, setting up for some nice photos of the traditional Italian style buildings that lined the roads.

With nothing being open I had to return to the station for a service back north to Zurich. I got lucky and a lady was blocking the doors which allowed me to slip on as the train should have already departed. We passed back through the Gothard tunnel and followed the coastline of Lake Lucerne after we departed Arth-Goldau. A slow approach into Zurich gave me enough time to decide on where to go next, landing on a visit to some new track in the RhB region.

The 11:38 SBB departure to Chur was my next train, a double deck unit which had originated from Geneva Airport with a lengthy reverse time at Zurich. My ticket and passport was checked pretty much instantly as we departed. I don’t see how this is not possible in the UK to have such frequent checks? I assume that our reliance on ticket barriers is the root cause of this but Switzerland’s no barrier policy seems to work much better. I have done over 30 journeys and not a single person has been travelling without a ticket, something which seems to come up on every other journey on my line. E-tickets are definitely the norm here, haven’t seen anyone use a paper ticket yet.

A cross platform transfer at Chur gave me a bit of time to nab some photos of my next train, IR 1141 to St Moritz. This was worked using one of RhB’s Articulated Alvra units with a locomotive pulling. I had the rear DVT to myself once again which allowed me to switch sides of the car to shoot out the windows. These carriages also featured electrically controlled blinds which I thought was a nice touch and made the train feel more premium. One of the best parts of the journey is the world renowned Landwasser Viaduct offering sweeping views of the valley below. I only took this train to Filisur where my connection was already waiting thanks to RhB’s efficient timetable, the 14:04 to Davos Platz operated by a ‘Capricorn’.

My next destination was Wiesener Viaduct, requiring a change at Davos Wiesen. Being a request stop I had to make sure to buzz before we arrived, although the popularity of trails around the area meant quite a few got on and off. Crossing the viaduct on foot was quite an experience, with the path being made of a light metal that sank with every step you took. Nevertheless, a quick pause to take in my surroundings was a must. Only the sounds of the river below could be heard along with a few birds high up in the trees. The viewpoint was only a few minutes from the end of the path, providing clear sights all around, as well as a handy QR code to say when the next train is due to pass. This truly was a magnificent place to come and clear your headspace.

The 15:50 took me back to Filisur where another quick connection could be had onto IR 1149 (16:01) taking me to Bergün/Bravuogn. Here was a stabled ‘Crocodile’ locomotive along with a small museum detailing the history of the surrounding railway and its construction. Being Easter Sunday however, it was only open as a waiting room/bar so it was not possible to check out today.

My next train was rather special. This service to Chur featured RhB’s Gourmino dining car towards the rear of the consist which I had to try. The interior was vintage and cosy, featuring table lamps and gold coloured window frames, a classy touch. Prices were on the high side but that is what you would expect from a service like this. I opted for the macaroni and beef mince which came in at 27 CHF. The food was really delicious and was a large portion as well.

Before long we were arriving into Chur once again, where my connection back to Zurich awaited. Worked by another Twindex EMU. This time I was asked for ID on presentation of my Interrail pass, so make sure you bring yours if you are travelling! A quick change in Zurich for the 18:30 service to Lauserane took me back to Olten.

 

[Techniquest]

A brilliant day, clearly, and a lot packed into it! That metal path along the bridge sounds like it would be amazing, but scary too!