Südostbahn

The Südostbahn (

The Schweizerische Südostbahn AG (Swiss South-Eastern Railway SA) is a small private railway jointly owned by the cantonal and federal governments as an Aktiengesellschaft (AG).^[2]

Network

The rail network of the Südostbahn (SOB) consists of that formerly owned by BT in northeast Switzerland (between Lake Constance and Toggenburg):

• Romanshorn–St. Gallen St. Fiden line,
• St. Gallen–Herisau–Degersheim–Wattwil line, and
• (Wattwil–)Ebnat-Kappel–Krummenau–Nesslau-Neu Sankt Johann line,

and that previously owned by the original SOB located predominantly in Central Switzerland:

• Pfäffikon SZ
  line,
• Pfäffikon SZ–
  Arth-Goldau
  line, and
• Einsiedeln–Biberbrugg–Schindellegi-Feusisberg–Samstagern–Wädenswil line.

Since 2006, SOB also owns

• Romanshorn – St. Gallen St. Fiden
  (19.1 kilometres (11.9 miles))
• St. Gallen – Wattwil – Nesslau-Neu St. Johann
  (44.5 kilometres (27.7 miles))
• Rapperswil – Pfäffikon SZ (Seedamm) (4 kilometres (2.5 miles))
• Pfäffikon SZ – Arth-Goldau (34.6 kilometres (21.5 miles), including 6.1 kilometres (3.8 miles) common with Wädenswil–Einsiedeln)
• Wädenswil – Einsiedeln (16.7 kilometres (10.4 miles))

The

One of the viaducts, the 99 metres (325 ft) high and 365 metres (1,198 ft) long Sitter Viaduct (SOB) near St. Gallen Haggen, is the highest railway bridge in Switzerland. It is also the longest bridge on the SOB network and was built between 1908 and 1910. Other notable viaducts are the Glatttal Viaduct (296 metres (971 ft) long, 34 metres (112 ft) high) near Herisau station, and the Wissbach Viaduct (289.5 metres (950 ft) long, 63 metres (207 ft) high) between Degersheim and Schachen. Many bridges of the SOB network were constructed by BT.

The longest tunnel on the SOB network is the 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) long Wasserfluh Tunnel between Brunnadern-Neckertal and Lichtensteig, with 10.4‰ grades. The tunnel was constructed between 1905 and 1910. The second longest tunnel is the Bruggwald Tunnel between St. Gallen St. Fiden and Wittenbach, having a length of 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) and a slope of 12‰. It was built between 1907 and 1910. Most tunnels of the SOB network belonged to BT previously. The 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) long Ricken Tunnel on the Uznach–Wattwil line, used by the SOB operated Voralpen Express and S4 service of St. Gallen S-Bahn, belongs to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS).

Rolling stock

In the 1990s, the former Südostbahn (SOB) ordered four two-piece NPZ (Neuer Pendelzug;

Services

InterRegio

Südostbahn (SOB) operates

From 1992 to 2013, Voralpen-Express (

Luzern – Luzern Verkehrshaus – Meggen Zentrum – Küssnacht am Rigi – Arth-Goldau – Rothenthurm – Biberbrugg – Pfäffikon SZ – Rapperswil – Uznach – Wattwil – Herisau – St. Gallen

Voralpen-Express runs mainly on tracks of the SOB network but uses tracks owned by Swiss Federal Railways between Lucerne and Arth-Goldau, and between Rapperswil and Wattwil (including the 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) long Ricken Tunnel on the Uznach–Wattwil line).

Treno Gottardo

Basel SBB – Locarno

Basel SBB –

Ambri-Piotta – Faido – Lavorgo – Bodio TI – Biasca – Castione-Arbedo – Bellinzona – Cadenazzo – Tenero

– Locarno

Zürich HB – Locarno

Zürich HB – Zug – Arth-Goldau – Schwyz – Brunnen – Flüelen – Erstfeld – Göschenen – Airolo – Ambri-Piotta – Faido – Lavorgo – Bodio TI – Biasca – Castione-Arbedo – Bellinzona – Cadenazzo – Tenero – Locarno

Treno Gottardo follows the scenic route of the

a.s.l.) and Airolo (1,142 metres (3,747 ft) a.s.l.). It uses a series of spiral loops and horseshoe curves (partly in tunnels) to quickly gain altitude, or to lose altitude on the other side of the tunnel, respectively. All InterCity and EuroCity trains instead use the 57.09 kilometres (35.47 mi) long Gotthard Base Tunnel

since its opening in 2016.

Aare Linth

The named train

SBB CFF FFS; it runs entirely on the Swiss Federal Railways network. Stadler "Traverso" trainsets operate on this InterRegio line except during rush hour, when higher-capacity rolling stock

of SBB CFF FFS is used.

Bern – Chur

Bern – Burgdorf – Herzogenbuchsee – Langenthal – Olten – Zürich Altstetten – Zürich HB – Thalwil – Wädenswil – Pfäffikon SZ – Siebnen-Wangen – Ziegelbrücke – Walenstadt – Sargans – Bad Ragaz – Landquart – Chur

S-Bahn

As of the December 2023 timetable change,^[update] Südostbahn (SOB) operates the following S-Bahn services in Central and Eastern Switzerland:^[5]

• Lucerne S-Bahn:
  • S31 Arth-Goldau – Steinerberg – Sattel – Biberegg – Rothenthurm – Altmatt – Biberbrugg
• St. Gallen S-Bahn:
  • S4 Rapperswil – Uznach – Kaltbrunn – Wattwil – Lichtensteig – Brunnadern-Neckertal – Mogelsberg – Degersheim – Schachen (Herisau) – Herisau – St. Gallen Haggen – St. Gallen – St. Gallen St. Fiden – Mörschwil – Goldach – Rorschach Stadt – Rorschach – Staad – Rheineck – St. Margrethen – Au SG – Heerbrugg – Rebstein-Marbach – Altstätten SG – Oberriet – Rüthi SG – Salez-Sennwald – Buchs SG – Sevelen – Sargans
  • Nieder- und Oberurnen – Näfels-Mollis – Netstal – Glarus – Ennenda – Mitlödi – Schwanden ( – Nidfurn-Haslen – Leuggelbach – Luchsingen-Hätzingen – Diesbach-Betschwanden – Rüti GL – Linthal Braunwaldbahn – Linthal
    , only during off-peak hours)
  • S17 Sargans – Mels – Flums – Walenstadt – Unterterzen – Murg – Mühlehorn – Ziegelbrücke – Schänis – Benken – Uznach – Schmerikon – Blumenau – Rapperswil
• Zürich S-Bahn:
  • S13 Einsiedeln – Biberbrugg – Schindellegi-Feusisberg – Samstagern – Grüenfeld – Burghalden – Wädenswil
  • S40 Einsiedeln – Biberbrugg – Schindellegi-Feusisberg – Samstagern – Riedmatt – Wollerau – Wilen bei Wollerau – Freienbach SOB – Pfäffikon SZ – Hurden – Rapperswil
• Not formally part of an S-Bahn network:
  • S27 (March shuttle) Ziegelbrücke – Bilten – Reichenburg – Schübelbach-Buttikon – Siebnen-Wangen (operates only Monday–Friday during peak-hours)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Südostbahn.

• Official website (in German)
• Voralpen-Express website (in English)
• Treno Gottardo website (in English)
• Aare Linth website (in English)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} SOB.ch: https://www.sob.ch/die-sob/ueber-uns/zahlen-und-fakten (in German)
2. ^ ^{a b} "Porträt: SOB Südostbahn" (in German). SOB. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
3. ^ bahnonline.ch: https://www.bahnonline.ch/8563/mit-dem-treno-gottardo-bis-nach-locarno-unterwegs/ (in German)
4. ^ bahnonline.ch: https://www.bahnonline.ch/16951/suedostbahn-nimmt-fernverkehrslinie-aare-linth-in-betrieb (in German)/
5. ^ "Liniennetzplan Südostbahn 2023–2024" (PDF). Südostbahn. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.