With Swiss school holidays around the corner, train travel on some much-travelled lines will be disrupted. Here’s what you need to know.
The national rail company SBB will be carrying out major maintenance work on the Fribourg-Bern line — one of the most important routes in Switzerland as it connects German and French-speaking parts of the country.
This railway line will be closed from June 27th to August 25th, 2025. A replacement service will be put in place for customers, including buses every 10 minutes to replace long-distance traffic.
During the total interruption from June 27th at 10:30 pm to August 25th, 2025 at 4:00 am, the timetable changes are as follows:
- The IC1 (Geneva Airport–St. Gallen) and the IR15 (Geneva Airport–Lucerne) are cancelled between Fribourg/Freiburg and Bern;
- The RE2 is cancelled between Fribourg/Freiburg and Bern;
- The RE3 is cancelled between Fribourg/Freiburg and Düdingen;
- The S1 is cancelled between Fribourg/Freiburg and Bern. From Bern, it operates to Belp with the same stopping policy as the S31;
- The S2 is cancelled between Laupen and Bern Europaplatz.
More information about disruptions and replacements on this line can be found here.
Travel to Zurich airport disrupted as well
Also, keep in mind that until July 6th, one track at the Zurich Airport station will be closed, affecting several long-distance trains — including an international one — that will no longer be able stop there.
one track at the Zurich Flughafen station will be closed, affecting several long-distance trains — including an international one — that will no longer be able stop there.
The following lines are affected during this time:
- IC5 from St. Gallen/Rorschach via Zurich central station (HB) towards Lausanne – this train will be diverted between Winterthur and Zurich HB.
- EC from Munich towards Zurich HB – this train will also be diverted between Winterthur and Zurich HB.
- IR36 from Basel towards Zurich – the train already terminates in Zurich Oerlikon. The Zurich Airport stop will also be canceled in the direction of Basel.
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Can you get to the Zurich airport despite these disruptions?
Yes, despite the track closure, Zurich Airport remains easily accessible to travellers.
The online timetable has been adjusted accordingly, and numerous alternative connections are available either online or via the SBB app.
Zurich Airport is also accessible by public transport, with several tram and bus lines linking the city centre with the airport.
