Trains and other things: Flüelen, Brugg, Baden, Zürich

I'm waking up on a train on my way from Berlin to Zurich.

Breakfast is served

Unfortunately, today will be a very rainy day

This is how a six-bed couchette looks like. How is it possible to fit in the middle bed?

Arriving at Zurich

Later today I will be taking another Nightjet, this time it will be double-deck car on the way to Vienna

The Nightjet from Hamburg is so popular now (probably due to Greta effect), that DB had to attach extra seat cars to the existing couchette and sleeper cars.

The new Twindexx for SBB in service after many years delay

Here they are, double-deck cars from Hamburg

Re 420

I will have a day in Switzerland, let's see what I can do. I have Interrail so I can visit many different places. I will first go to Flüelen.

Strike in France. No TGV Lyria trains here in Switzerland at the moment.

RABDe 500 ICN tilting train

It's not difficult to love swiss trains, plenty of seats and no reservations

My second breakfast on the train - a cheesecake purchased at the station. It was worth the money

Still, I'm alone in the car

Zug

I was hoping to take the direct line between Zug and Arth Goldau, but it turned out that all trains were re-routed through Rotkreuz due to railway works

Rotkreuz

A freight train entering Rotkreuz

476 456 Vectron AC DPM from railCare AG

My next train is an IR train to Flüelen

New train for Luzern-St.Gallen express

Flüelen

Alte Kirche Flüelen

Seems that the line is equipped with ERTMS

ETR 610

Lake Lucerne

Pfarrkirche Herz Jesu

The lake has a boat service between Flüelen and Luzern

Train to Italy

Lunch

I'm now taking Aargau Southern Railway which is the main route for freight trains between the Basel freight yard and the St Gotthard and Italy.

I'll make a short stop at Muri AG

SBB RABe 523, Stadler Flirt operating the S-Bahn line here

The second rainbow during this trip, another one was on previous day in Flensburg.

I'm continuing to Othmarsingen

Othmarsingen is located at Heitersberg Railway, the east-west main line between Zürich und Bern.

Many trains are passing by here

My next train is another S-Bahn to Brugg

Brugg

Brugg railway station opened in 1856. The station forms the junction between the Baden–Aarau railway, part of the original line between Zurich and Olten, the Bözberg railway line, which links Basel SBB with Brugg, and the former Aargauische Südbahn, which links Brugg with Rotkreuz. (Wikipedia)

ICE4 train from Zurich to Germany

RBDe 560

River Aare

Taking the next train to Baden

Baden

It was opened in 1847 as the terminus of the Swiss Northern Railway, the first railway line in Switzerland, and is thus one of the oldest railway stations in the country. The station building designed by Ferdinand Stadler is the oldest in Switzerland, which has been preserved in its original state and is still used for rail operations today. (Wikipedia)

RABe 501 is the train I wanted to see but did not expect it here. It is the newest EMU in Switzerland, and it is designed for long-distance international travels, but now it is being tested here as InterRegio service Zurich-Basel.

I want to take this train, but I realize it is going in the wrong direction, so I decide to wait for it coming back from Basel.

Baden station has a very frequent train operation with all possible train types

Re 420

There is a Christmas market serving hot gluhwein

I will visit the ruins of Stein castle

The view of the station from the Castle

One of my best experiences during this trip is the visit to Railone Coffee & Bar located at the station of Baden. Full of people, smoking and drinking beer. I don't think that any of them were waiting for the train. The beer tasted good.

The view of the castle from the station

Finally, the train I'm waiting for is arriving

Now operating as IR36

My first impression is that I have seen these seats somewhere. And I recall the new ER1 train in Sweden, the seats look the same. Fancy and expensive.

First-class of RABe 501

The Stadler EC250, also known as SMILE, short for Schneller Mehrsystemfähiger Innovativer Leichter Expresszug (English: “speedy, multi-system, innovative, lightweight express train”), is a high-speed electric multiple unit train under development by Stadler Rail of Switzerland for the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). According to Stadler Rail, it is to be the world's first single-decker low-floor high-speed train.

The 11-car units are to operate with a top speed of 250 km/h and have a length of 200 metres; they are to accommodate up to 400 passengers (117-1. class 286-2. class). In 2014, Stadler Rail won a tender to deliver 29 units by 2019 for CHF 980 million (c. USD 1.1 billion), with an option for up to 92 more. The trains are initially intended to replace the ETR610 trains on the transalpine route between Milan and Basel / Zürich. (Wikipedia)