4. October 2024 — von Heidi Troisio

"Allpott": More public transport in Sarganserland and Werdenberg

4. October 2024 — von Heidi Troisio

"Allpott": More public transport in Sarganserland and Werdenberg

The public transport service in the Rhine Valley will be significantly improved with the timetable change in mid-December 2024. In the Sarganserland, Werdenberg, Rhine Valley and Liechtenstein regions, buses will run more frequently, more directly, earlier and on many new routes. As a major public transport expansion, the IR13 and the new Alpenrhein-Express will run together every half hour.

Whether you're an early riser, night owl or cross-border commuter, public transport in the region is about to become even more attractive: the frequency will increase with the 2024 timetable change. There are new lines that take you directly to your destination without changing trains. Commuting across borders will now be even easier for everyone.

From December 15, 2024, the Alpenrhein-Express will run from Chur to St.Gallen and on to Herisau. Together with the IR13, it offers the long-awaited half-hourly service between Sargans and St.Gallen. A bus now runs every 10 minutes between Heerbrugg and Altstätten during peak times. Commuters in the border triangle can now travel from Gams and Grabs to Schaan and Vaduz and from Hohenems to Altstätten without having to change buses. Although the service is being expanded, ticket prices for direct national transport and the Ostwind fare network will remain the same.

Half-hourly service: Major improvement for the regions

The construction work for the double-track expansion in the St.Gallen Rhine Valley between Sevelen and Buchs as well as near Oberriet will be fully completed by spring 2025. From the timetable change in December 2024, Schweizerische Südostbahn SOB will introduce the Alpenrheinexpress from St.Gallen to Chur. Together with SBB's InterRegio IR13, this will run every half hour in the Rhine Valley. The introduction of the half-hourly service is a major achievement for the regions. Commuters and students in particular, but also travelers, will benefit from the improved long-distance service.

Municipalities, regions and the canton of St.Gallen have been campaigning for years for trains to run every half hour on the Rhine Valley line. "The introduction of the half-hourly service in the Rhine Valley is an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life and economic dynamism in the Sarganserland-Werdenberg region," says Rolf Pfeiffer, Mayor of Buchs and President of the Werdenberg-Liechtenstein agglomeration. "Through close cooperation between municipalities, regions, the canton and transport companies, we have created an improved and more efficient transport network that benefits commuters and students in particular. Our aim is to create an incentive to encourage more people to switch from cars to public transport."

public transport highlights in Sarganserland and Werdenberg:

The population in the Sarganserland-Werdenberg region benefits specifically from improvements

in rail transport:

Fast half-hourly service between Sargans and St.Gallen with the IR13 and the Alpenrheinexpress
New IR stop in Unterterzen

cross-border bus services with Liechtenstein:

From Monday to Friday during rush hour, bus services on the Gams-Grabs-Buchs route will be increased to every quarter of an hour and extended to Schaan every half hour.
On Mondays to Fridays during rush hour, the LIEmobil line 24 Vaduz-Sevelen will be extended to Buchs, creating a quarter-hourly service between Sevelen and Buchs.
Electric buses will now be used on the 797 Buchs-Gams-Wildhaus line. The new vehicles will go into operation at the beginning of 2025.

in the winter sports area from the Sargans junction:

During the winter season (mid-December to Easter), Postbuses will run every 30 minutes from Sargans via Flums to Flumserberg at weekends.

in Bad Ragaz and the Tamina Valley:

From Monday to Friday, the Bad Ragaz-Valens route (line 451) will be increased to every half hour during morning, midday and afternoon commuter times. The village of Pfäfers will have a half-hourly service at these times.
The Bad Ragaz local bus (route 456) has been redesigned. Postbuses now run all day on the route Bidems-Fluppi-Bahnhof-Tamina Therme-Zentrum-Bahnhof-St. Leonhard. The districts of Fluppi and Bidems are served every half hour from early in the morning until 7.00 pm. The Bad Ragaz, Bahnhof-Zentrum-St. Leonhard route will also be served every half hour.
During the peak season in winter, the new line 457 will run from the railroad station to the Pizolbahn. Postbuses will run every hour.

"Allpott" a bus and train: campaign and competition

The canton of St.Gallen, the Sarganserland-Werdenberg region and the St.Gallen Rhine Valley Association are launching the "Allpott" campaign together with transport companies to draw attention to improvements in public transport. The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to switch to public transport. "Allpott" is a dialect word in the Sarganserland, Werdenberg, Rhine Valley and Principality of Liechtenstein and means "frequently, often, again and again".

When "allpott" is a bus and train, there is more time for the important things in life: completing a project at work, having a second coffee with your girlfriend, listening to one more song in the club. "What do you do with more time?" is the question in the Allpott competition at www.allpott.ch/de/Abo-gewinnen. Five OSTWIND monthly subscriptions will be raffled off among the inspiring entries.

Celebrating together: Invitation to the public festival on December 12

The construction work for the double-track expansion had a major impact on public transport in Sarganserland, Werdenberg and Rheintal. Among other things, the railroad line between Altstätten and Buchs was completely closed for eight months. Most of the construction work between Buchs and Sevelen was carried out while trains were still running. Nevertheless, there were significant restrictions in the region despite the rail replacement. With the completion of the work on the rail infrastructure, there is reason to celebrate: an expanded rail network that enables major improvements in public transport.

As part of the "Allpott" campaign, the canton of St.Gallen, the Sarganserland-Werdenberg region, the St.Gallen Rhine Valley Association and the transport companies are inviting people to public events on Thursday, 12 December. The 2024 timetable change will be celebrated with a pop-up piazza and live music at the regional transport hubs of Heerbrugg, Buchs and Sargans. Everyone is cordially invited to linger for a moment and enjoy the extra time that is now available because "allpott" has a bus or train:

Heerbrugg station: 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., coffee and croissants to music by
Kevin Staffa

Sargans train station: 12:00 to 14:00, coffee and music by Kevin Staffa

Buchs train station: 16:00 to 19:00, mulled wine and punch to music by Kevin Staffa and Dario Michielini

Klausmarkt Altstätten: 8 am to 6 pm