Zürich S-Bahn facts for kids
The Zürich S-Bahn is a special train system in Zürich, Switzerland. It's like a big network of trains that connects the main city of Zürich to all the towns and areas around it. The name "S-Bahn" comes from German and means "suburban train."
This train system started in 1990. It was the very first suburban train system to open in Switzerland! It helps many people travel easily between their homes and the city every day.
Contents
Facts About the S-Bahn
In 2008, the Zürich S-Bahn had about 380 kilometres of railway tracks. It also had 171 train stations and 28 different train lines. That's a lot of places to go!
Many people use these trains. In 2007, about 355,653 passengers rode the S-Bahn every single day. That's more than three hundred thousand people!
How Often Do Trains Run?
Most S-Bahn lines have trains running quite often. Usually, you can find two trains every hour on each line. This means you don't have to wait too long.
For example, between a place called Altstetten and Zürich's main train station (Zürich HB), there are 16 trains every hour. That's like a train arriving every 4 minutes!
Night Trains on Weekends
Since 2002, the S-Bahn also has special night trains. These trains run on weekend nights, specifically from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday.
Usually, there is one night train every hour. On some lines, a train might come every two hours. There are also some night bus lines that connect to the S-Bahn. If you want to ride these night lines, you usually need to buy an extra ticket.
Future Plans for the S-Bahn
Between 75 and 80 million people use the Zürich S-Bahn every year. That's a huge number! About 70% of the people who live in the area use this train system.
The S-Bahn has plans to make things even better. They want to have four trains per hour on most lines. This means trains would come twice as often! They also plan to have four trains per hour between Zürich and Winterthur all day long, not just during busy times.
A new tunnel was built at Zürich's main train station. This tunnel is called the Weinberg Tunnel. It helps trains from places like Winterthur and Oerlikon go straight through Zürich Main Station without having to change direction. This makes travel faster and easier for everyone.
Images for kids
-
A Siemens RABe 514 "DTZ" train on the S8 line.
-
These "DPZ" trains are a big part of the S-Bahn's fleet.
-
A THURBO Stadler GTW train on the S33 line, near the Rhine Falls.
-
A map from the 1970s showing ideas for a combined U-Bahn and S-Bahn system in Zürich.
