If you are planning to travel on international night trains to and from Switzerland in the coming months, be prepared to be very flexible. This is why.
Let’s begin with April changes, as they are most imminent.
Though its name suggests a red-eye airplane flight, NightJet is actually an overnight train operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) with services to several European countries, including Switzerland.
From April 14th until April 28th — which coincides with the busy Easter holiday travel — some of these Switzerland-bound trains will be cancelled.
The reason given by the company for the cancellation: “Construction sites in Germany announced at short notice.”
Which NightJet trains to and from Switzerland will be affected by the works in April?
NJ 402 from Zurich to Amsterdam with departure from April 14th-April 27th.
NJ 403 from Amsterdam to Zurich with departure from April 15th -April 28th.
EN 40459 from Zurich to Prague with departure from April 14th-April 27th.
EN 40458 from Praha to Zurich with departure from April 13th-April 26th.
Also, the Zurich – Berlin and Berlin – Zurich train (NJ 408 / NJ 409 incl. IC 60408 / 60409) will run to / from Hamburg between April 14th-April 15th and April 27th-April 28th.
Travellers are requested to take the daytime service in / to Hanover; their NJ tickets will be valid on that train.
Further, on the Zurich – Hamburg / Hamburg – Zurich line (NJ 470 / 471 with IC 60470 / 60471), Bremen and Verden an der Aller stops stops will be cancelled between April 14th and April 15th and April 27th-April 28th.
Travellers are requested to take the daytime service via Hanover. Their original NJ tickets will be accepted.
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What if you want to cancel your ticket altogether and get a refund?
You can do so, given that this is a last-minute event beyond your control.
You can contact the ÖBB directly on their customer service number, +43 5 1717.
If you purchased your tickets via the Swiss railway company SBB, you can find information on cancelling international train tickets here.
But that’s not all
According to SBB this time, there will be extensive engineering works in the Weil am Rhein area of Germany until April 22nd.
This means rail services along the route will be restricted. “During this period, ICE Basel SBB–Cologne–Hamburg trains on line 43 will be cancelled between Basel SBB and Karlsruhe. Passengers travelling to Frankfurt Airport, Cologne/North Rhine-Westphalia will temporarily have to change trains in Mannheim,” the company said.
Also, from April 14th to April 28th, “there will be diversions, cancellations and replacement bus services along the Rhine Valley Railway (Karlsruhe–Basel) due to construction work. The ICE Berlin–Basel-Interlaken, Kiel/Hamburg–Basel-Zurich/Chur and Hamburg–Cologne–Basel services will be affected in particular. The Zurich–Amsterdam and Zurich–Leipzig–Prague night trains will also be cancelled. The Zurich–Berlin/Hamburg night train will be diverted via Schaffhausen. Passengers for Berlin will change trains in Hanover. NJ tickets to/from Berlin that have already been booked are recognised for transfers between Hanover and Berlin.”
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Next: May
Further changes will occur to and from Germany in May
From May 8th to May 10th, EC trains between Zurich and Munich will not run continuously on the Lindau–Munich route due to track renewal. In the meantime, a change to regional services replacement bus services in Lindau will be necessary.
Summer and autumn
From July 26th to July to September 5th, IC trains from Zurich to Stuttgart will terminate in Stuttgart Vaihingen. Passengers can change to the S-Bahn in Vaihingen.
Then, from August 26th to September 5th, the route between Buchenau and Fürstenfeldbruck (Buchloe–Munich line) will be closed to rail traffic due to track maintenance. The EC trains between Zurich and Munich will therefore not run continuously. A rail replacement strategy is currently being developed.
Due to the accumulation of speed limitations in the Gossau SG–St. Margrethen area, the EC Munich will not be able to stop in St. Margrethen at certain times. Between July 7th and July 10th, the stop in St. Margrethen will be suspended in the Zurich–Bregenz–Munich direction. From July 20th and August 19th and from September 9th and November 13th, the EC Munich will pass through St. Margrethen in both directions without stopping.
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Changes will also occur on trains to and from France.
There will be fewer TGV services from Zurich and Lausanne to Paris and vice versa from Monday to Friday, September 1st to December 12th. Additionally, there may be detours via Strasbourg or Dijon, resulting in longer journey times on the Zurich–Paris route.
Other foreign destinations as well
Due to the modernisation of the Tauern Tunnel in Austria, night trains to and from Zagreb will continue to be rerouted until July 13th, resulting in longer travel and adjusted arrival and departure times. The stop in Ljubljana will be cancelled. Passengers can travel to Ljubljana via Graz, which will increase the journey time and require additional changes.
You can find more information about these changes on the SBB website.
