Nonstop intercity & freight trains schedule (Swiss)

[m4tt]

Hi all,

I'm new to travelling international and am planning a photography trip to Switzerland and (Possibly) Germany. I've been using DB's departure and arrival website to see arivals and departures from stations however these do not show trains which run nonstop. Is there any way to know what is likely to pass one of these stations rather than winging it? It would be annoying to go out the way to a remote location just for nothing to turn up. If there are any examples for other European countries this would be great too.

Any advice would be most appreciated

 

[30907]

This will give you passenger workings but not freight.
https://zugradar.info/sbb-zugradar-schweizerische-bundesbahnen/

 

[m4tt]

This will give you passenger workings but not freight.
https://zugradar.info/sbb-zugradar-schweizerische-bundesbahnen/

Thank you, this will be very handy.

Is there anywhere to to indentify freight paths like we have in the UK such at RTT? Ideally to work out freight paths which run daily

 

[30907]

Thank you, this will be very handy.

Is there anywhere to to indentify freight paths like we have in the UK such at RTT? Ideally to work out freight paths which run daily

Sorry, pass on that one
It should be possible to get graph timetables but they don't confirm whether trains actually run.

I was, however, recently struck by the volume of traffic on the Jurafuss route through Biel and Neuchatel, which I wasn't aware of. I presume it is used in preference to the main passenger route through Bern because it is easily graded.

 

[Alfonso]

There are apparently up to 200 freight trains a day on the transalpine routes, so anywhere before the base tunnel and summit tunnel routes diverge on the loetschberg or gotthard routes should give you lots of freight trains. There are worse ways to spend a day than watching trains go out of Brig either down the Rhone valley toward the loetschburg base tunnel or Geneva, up the sudrampe to the loetschberg summit tunnel, and narrow gauge stuff rattle along the line to Zermatt. If it all gets too much go to the brigerbad thermal baths for a relaxing soak.

 

[m4tt]

I was hoping to get a shot of a freight train over the kander viaduct on the Lötschberg line, just south of Frutigen. The problem is it seems almost eeverything bar the regional trains now takes the base tunnel instead so not sure if anything would actually turn up. The train would have to be going northbound

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Sep 2022 ==

It should be possible to get graph timetables but they don't confirm whether trains actually run.

I don't suppose you know where I might find a copy? Thanks

 

[Alfonso]

Loads of freight trains still use the summit route, I'm sure you wouldn't have to wait long.Bls state 20-50 of the 110 freight trains a day use the summit route, although I suppose they could all be at night, but I doubt it.

 

[m4tt]

Loads of freight trains still use the summit route, I'm sure you wouldn't have to wait long.

Thank you for your help. No IC trains run that route anymore do they? I guess after the tunnel was opened they all go that way instead

 

[Austriantrain]

Thank you for your help. No IC trains run that route anymore do they? I guess after the tunnel was opened they all go that way instead

There are some when the tunnel is closed for regular maintenance, but that happens at night, so little use for photography (eg IC 1092 on Sunday evenings, leaving Brigue at 22:26). And obviously in case of disruption, but those can’t be planned.

Other than that, ICs and ECs all go through the tunnel because of the much shorter journey time. The summit line is used by regional trains.

 

[MacCookie]

There are internal systems with live train running, but SBB don't have the same open data policies that Network Rail have, so no Swiss equivalent of RTT with freight schedules on it.

SBB do publish train graphs, but as with British working timetables, what's planned to run and what actually runs can be quite different.

https://data.sbb.ch/explore/dataset/graphischer-fahrplan/table/?refine.jahr=2022 or https://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/de/archiv/grafische-fahrplaene.html (this has a bit of information that might help with interpreting the graphs)

There is freight through the Lötschberg summit tunnel, and Kandersteg is also worth a visit to photograph the autoverlad trains.

Flickr Search

www.flickr.com

Freight through the Gotthard summit tunnel is far more limited, with aggregate trains and a few local freights only. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel is predominately single track, so capacity is less than with the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Out of course running on the Lötschberg axis will mean a diversion over the top for freight, whereas there's not that same problem on the Gotthard axis.

The two trans-Alpine routes normally only run in parallel between Basel SBB RB and Basel Pratteln.

There's a lot of local freight across the country, so you don't have to stick to the trans-Alpine routes.

My photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/maccookie/albums and scroll for various Swiss (and German) railway albums.

Cheers,
Ewan

 

[m4tt]

There are internal systems with live train running, but SBB don't have the same open data policies that Network Rail have, so no Swiss equivalent of RTT with freight schedules on it.

SBB do publish train graphs, but as with British working timetables, what's planned to run and what actually runs can be quite different.

https://data.sbb.ch/explore/dataset/graphischer-fahrplan/table/?refine.jahr=2022 or https://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/de/archiv/grafische-fahrplaene.html (this has a bit of information that might help with interpreting the graphs)

There is freight through the Lötschberg summit tunnel, and Kandersteg is also worth a visit to photograph the autoverlad trains.

Flickr Search

www.flickr.com

Freight through the Gotthard summit tunnel is far more limited, with aggregate trains and a few local freights only. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel is predominately single track, so capacity is less than with the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Out of course running on the Lötschberg axis will mean a diversion over the top for freight, whereas there's not that same problem on the Gotthard axis.

The two trans-Alpine routes normally only run in parallel between Basel SBB RB and Basel Pratteln.

There's a lot of local freight across the country, so you don't have to stick to the trans-Alpine routes.

My photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/maccookie/albums and scroll for various Swiss (and German) railway albums.

Cheers,
Ewan

Thanks for all your help, the photos are great and will definitely provide some much needed inspiration!