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    Zürich to Konstanz – Switzerland to Germany (just) with SBB regional



    Zürich to Konstanz – Switzerland to Germany (just) with SBB regional

    The second part of my Sunday trip across Switzerland sees me continuing my journey on from Zürich Hauptbahnhof through the lush Swiss low(er)lands to the border city of Konstanz, which is by the lake of the same name.

    We’re a little way away from the true Swiss alpine scenery, so it gives us the chance to see what some of the rest of Switzerland has to offer. Also, we’ll be rolling along inside the double-deck regional stock that puts many regional trains (certainly in the UK) to shame. It is a very comfortable ride indeed.

    Departure: Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Switzerland
    Destination: Konstanz, Germany
    Distance: 88 km / 55 miles
    Duration: 1 hrs 15 mins
    Average speed: 70 km/h 44 mph

    Example cost: Adult advance single booked from the UK on TrainLine
    1st Class: €36,30 / £31.10
    2nd Class: €20,20 / £17.30

    Date of Travel: March 2024
    Operator: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS)
    Motive power: Re460 electric locomotive
    Manufacturers: ABB Zürich and SLM Winterthur
    Entered service: 1991-1996

    Thank you to everyone that supports the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting or just watching these videos. I really appreciate it!

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    30 Comments

    3. @Fan652w on

      Excellent video! The most important shot was at 2m 1s showing the departure board. The same basic timetable operates seven-days-a week. So despite it being a Sunday, we saw the Swiss Taktfahrplan in all its glory. Numerous IC and IR trains converge on Zurich at around 30 past the hour, and interconnect with each other. The IR75 Johnny caught would have arrived from Konstanz at 1525 and given connections to destination all over Switzerland, eg to the 1532 IC1 to Bern, Lausanne and Geneva.

    4. @Fan652w on

      Regarding fares, the April issue of Schweizer Eisenbahn Revue reports that over three million Swiss residents now have 'Halb Taxe Abonnements' giving 50% reduction on train travel (and discounts on other public transport). (Population of Switzerland is nearly nine million.) Anybody can buy a HTA (190 Franks per year).
      In addition 5% of Swiss residents have an annual General Abonnement. This GA gives free travel on all Swiss public transport excerpt purely tourist mountain lines. Any tourist visiting Switzerland and intending to travel extensively within the country should, of course, buy a Swiss Travel Pass. The STP has similar validity to a GA.

    7. @Diana-andre2018 on

      Good and interesting video again, the first class fare seemed very reasonable as well. Good you are meeting Mark too. Yourself, Mark and Steve Marsh, not forgetting Scott are without doubt the best YouTubers for the interesting and entertaining way you all present your videos, I always look forward to watching you all.😊

    8. @77smp on

      I'll guess there's a certain percentage of your viewership that are vaguely familiar with Winterthur…
      Anyway, after this I'm having a nap, am feeling quite…..JET LAGGED 😉
      Probably a few Swiss going "rowdy, in 1st class! This is Switzerland not the C2C for Southend!" 😄
      Lovely video as usual 🙂

    11. @jochemjonker3362 on

      Thanx for this video,always love to look at the side seeings of Switzerland.I was once on holiday,in my teens(Großhochstetten,Berner Oberland) and since than,i loved this country,allthough it sounds a little weird,to put it that way.
      Nice your traintrip ended this time,in Konstanz,the place were Jerry Auerswald lives and works.He's a one of a kind guitar and bassguitarbuilders.He has build different guitars and basses for Prince. He builded the models,Symbol guitar,model C(guitar and bass version) and the Cleo guitar.He's the kind of "Stradivarius of modern guitars",but not the man,to visit his workshop.

    12. @kevinellis8869 on

      Winterthur – think of the advertising on the station signs at Basingstoke!
      159s are better than 158s, both are better seating-wise than the new generation.
      Looking forward to the collaboration – the English equivalent of Scott and Steve, keep up the good work!

    13. @tides2002 on

      If you haven’t visited already, I would recommend St. Joseph’s Church in Le Havre for a master class in wooden board marked concrete.

    14. @quuxjn2452 on

      Great video but I do have to correct a few things about the regional part because it isn't a regional service to begin with.

      The Interregio (IR) trains are actually part of the long distance trains alongside the IC, EC, ICE and TGV trains. The regional trains are the Regioexpress (RE), Regio (R), S-Bahn (S) and RER trains. Plus the trainset you traveled on (Re 460 + IC2020) is actually even an intercity trainset where they just didn't put a restaurant car in the consist but is otherwise also used in IC trains.

      So this also explains why it was such a good "regional" train because it actually was a long distance basically IC train. But this all doesn't matter in terms of ticket price because here we do not differentiate between regional services and long distance services. You buy a ticket for a certain line or zone and then you just take whatever you want that runs along that line or zone. It does not matter if that's a fast IC train, a slow regional train or even a bus.

    15. @LazyDaisyDay88 on

      I do like your videos but I feel they could be a bit longer/more detailed sometimes? I'd like to see more of the stations and the cities you visit at either end of each trip. I'm not particularly interested in the details of the train types (although I appreciate many are) so it would be good, for those like me, to see some other aspects of the trip rather than just a somewhat straightforward train journey? Hope that makes sense. Feel free to take my comments with a pinch of salt – its your channel 🙂

    16. @andyml1 on

      Great video again, thanks Johnny. Reminds me of my visits to Bodensee (worth a video of its own – lots to see and do there from Zeppelin and ferry rides to the beauty of Lindau.

    17. @EuropAir on

      Thanks for the video. As some other viewer already commented, this is not at all a regional train. You travelled on an Interregio (IR), part of the long-distance trains in Switzerland. Only the Intercity IC is faster than an IR, but it only runs on a few routes. In international traffic, of course, there are also trains such as the TGV, ICE, RJ Railjet and EC EuroCity. Slower (means mores stops) than the IR is the RegioExpress RE.
      If you really want to travel on real regional trains, then these are trains with the designation "R" for Regio and "S" for S-Bahn. From Zurich HB to Constance you would have to change trains at least twice with S and R trains – and believe me, the rolling stock is also a little different…

    18. @simonpilk on

      Great to watch and yes those Ic2000 coaches with a 460 locomotive are much comfier than a nasty 502 EMU! I am also about to do an Interrail ticket (as I often have) and just wondered how awkward it is to actually create a YouTube channel detailing my travels also? Not in competition don’t worry!

    21. @alanbrown3015 on

      Price wise does 1st class inter rail stack up well v standard class? Also do overseas visitors pay less than the host country's people, similar to what happens in GB with Britrail pass v the All Lines rover.

    23. @tomcarr1358 on

      See also for your list the independent service from Arth Goldau to Romanshorn. If only able to use part of the line do not miss St .Gallen and the remarkable interior of the university library.
      Rapperswil to St Gallen is about 60kms which is maybe all you would want on a line which is fairly serpentine with the exception of one long tunnel. I met one of the drivers who was not content to live next to the railway but had 2 separate gauge model railways in his attic.

    24. @peonycottageboutique4154 on

      The train looked comfortable and clean. Looking forward to seeing you and Mark guesting in each others videos. As we have told him, you two are in our top 10 of fav YouTubers. We appreciate the hard work (and maps!) you put into each video.

    25. @aoilpe on

      The famous 460 / 465 were designed by Pininfarina , the famous Italian car designer.
      Sad you haven’t showed the efficiency of the Swiss Public Transport System by changing trains and taking all sorts of transports – where you would have barely wasted time while changing…

    28. @enemanozzle on

      So haben sich die Zeiten geändert: Anfangs waren die aus einem Trieb- und einem Steuerwagen gebildeten Pendelzüge der MThB die einzigen elektrischen Züge im Bahnhof Konstanz. Heute sind sämtliche zulaufenden Strecken elektrifiziert; nach der Elektrifizierung Basel Bad Bf – Erzingen wird es hier sogar durchgehende Schnellzüge Basel – St. Gallen geben, womit in dieser Realtion das Umsteigen in Zürich HB entfallen wird.

    29. @Elibuwu on

      The Red Arrow has "regular" runs that you can attend for..not too expensive of a price, with sometimes Fondue and sometimes just Brunch/Food.

      And you can book it for private runs, of course.

    30. @genoobtlp4424 on

      Dunno if the 158 comparison is better or worse, but the IC2000 cars are more an equivalent of an IC225, with the single decker EW4 being the equivalent to an HST…

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