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The ÖBB is celebrating its 100th anniversary together with the SBB and Switzerland Tourism and is launching new rail connections in its anniversary year, welcoming the fact that Zurich has developed into the second largest Nightjet hub and strengthening tourist offers in the two neighboring countries.
With Zurich as the second largest Nightjet hub, SBB and therefore Switzerland are the most reliable partners in the night train business. The expansion of connections to the Netherlands and Germany in recent years has made the Nightjet hub in Zurich an essential piece of the puzzle in the climate-friendly night train business. But cooperation in daytime train traffic also continues to grow from year to year. With an additional pair of trains on the Zurich – Bregenz – Munich route, a continuous 2-hour service between the two metropolises and Bregenz is now ensured.
The two countries have also been cooperating in the tourism sector for years. With numerous offers related to rail travel, Switzerland can score points with tourists all over the world. The ÖBB is honoring this with numerous, lovingly put together Switzerland tours and cultural trips in 2023. A mixture of guided group tours and individually designed programs ensure a wide range of offerings that also correspond to the trend towards decelerated and sustainable travel.
Philipp Mäder, Head of International Passenger Transport SBB: “ÖBB and SBB have a long-standing friendship and partnership. Whether day or night, our trains transport people in a climate-friendly manner and directly to a wide variety of destinations in Europe. With 28 daily connections between Switzerland and Austria and eight night train lines, we transported over a million travelers in 2022 and 2023 is also developing positively. Together we are shaping the future of rail – for our customers.”
Urs Weber, Market Manager Switzerland Tourism: From a tourism perspective in Switzerland, rail traffic is also developing very positively; Compared to many other nations, Austrian guests use the Swiss Travel Pass, the intermodal ticket for all public transport (including 500 museums), much more frequently and more intensively. By the way, the Swiss Travel Passes can be obtained from ÖBB.
Sabine Stock, CEO of ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG: “Getting from A to B using public transport is a given in Switzerland as well as in Austria. It is not for nothing that these are the two countries in Europe in which residents travel the most kilometers by train per year. To ensure that this love of rail is reflected not only nationally but also internationally, we have been cooperating with our Swiss partners for decades, creating a climate-friendly, fast and convenient way to commute back and forth between the two countries.”
