Quantum leap for public transport in the Rhine Valley
Quantum leap for public transport in the Rhine Valley
Thanks to the ongoing double-track expansion, the Rhine Valley and the Sarganserland-Werdenberg region are experiencing a quantum leap in public transport. In the Rhine Valley, the second strongest export region in Switzerland, there is still potential to increase the public transport rate. The rail and bus services are therefore being significantly expanded. A train or bus should be available "everywhere" so that more people change their mobility behavior and switch to public transport.
Half-hourly service thanks to the Alpenrhein Express
The construction work will be carried out between fall 2022 and spring 2025. Long-distance services between St.Gallen and Sargans will run every half hour from December 2024. This means that the hourly frequency of the well-known SBB IR13 - in future running from Sargans to Zurich via the Rhine Valley - will be supplemented by a second hourly long-distance product from Schweizerische Südostbahn AG (SOB): the Alpenrhein-Express from St.Gallen to Chur. Together they form the long-awaited half-hourly service on the Rhine Valley line. Buses play a central role in the regions as a means of getting to and from the rail network. Many timetable improvements are therefore planned for the bus routes. Although the service is being massively expanded, ticket prices will remain the same for both national direct services and the Ostwind fare network.
The draft timetable will be online from May 23
Timetable changes are also planned in other parts of the canton of St.Gallen. All provisional timetables will be available from 23 May 2024 at www.öv-info.ch and all changes for the canton of St.Gallen can be viewed here: Timetable procedure 2025 - Adjustments Canton St.Gallen.pdf (sg.ch)
The timetable procedure is open to the public and will run until June 9, 2024. All interested parties are invited to submit their feedback to the cantonal authorities. The cantons will collect the comments, evaluate them and submit them to the transport companies concerned. The definitive timetable 2025 and the responses to the concerns will be published in September.
