The Gotthard Panorama Express is a tourist oriented boat and panoramic train line which connects Lucerne to Lugano, crossing the Swiss Alps from North to South through the Gotthard crest tunnel. Until 2017, the train was known as the William Tell Express (German : Wilhelm Tell Express). It is jointly operated by the Swiss Federal Railways, who operate the train, and the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (German : Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees; SGV), who operate the boat. Previous iterations of the train ran to a southern terminus at Locarno rather than the current terminus at Lugano. [1] [2]
In the southerly direction, the journey starts from the quayside in front of Lucerne station, in the central Swiss city of Lucerne, which sits at the western end of Lake Lucerne. This end of the lake is surrounded by the famous peaks of the Rigi, Pilatus and Bürgenstock, and the route sails between these. The voyage then passes the Rütli meadow, where the Swiss Confederacy first came together, and the Tell Chapel that commemorates William Tell, the folk hero from whom the service took its former name. Finally the boat arrives at the landing stage in Flüelen, at the eastern end of the lake and a three minute walk from Flüelen station. [2] [3]
At Flüelen station, passengers transfer to the train, which takes the scenic original line of the Gotthard railway, climbing up the valley of the Reuss. As part of this climb, the railway makes several spiral loops in order to gain height, giving a series of different views of the village and church of Wassen, which lie in the centre of the loops. At Göschenen station the train enters the original Gotthard Tunnel and emerges into the southern facing Leventina valley in the Italian speaking canton of Ticino. Descending this, with the aid of several more spiral loops, the train eventually arrives at Bellinzona, the capital city of Ticino that is famous for its three World Heritage listed castles. Connections are available at Bellinzona station for Locarno. The train then continues to Lugano station, in the southern Swiss city of Lugano on the lake of the same name. [2] [3] [4]
The whole journey takes about six hours, divided roughly evenly between the boat and the train, and operates once a day in both directions, on most days between mid-April and mid-October. The section on Lake Lucerne is normally operated by a historic paddle steamer, whilst the train uses air-conditioned coaches with panoramic windows. Premium fares or supplements are charged. [3] [5]
Standard, non-premium, fare alternatives exist for both legs of the journey. The Lake Lucerne Navigation Company provides other services, utilising both paddle steamers and modern motor vessels, between Lucerne and Flüelen. The Swiss South Eastern Railway (German : Südostbahn) operates an hourly InterRegio service over the same route as the Panorama Express train between Flüelen and Bellinzona, continuing to Locarno but with connections to Lugano. Direct trains also operate between Lucerne, Bellinzona and Lugano via the far less scenic Gotthard Base Tunnel. This route may be useful for passengers making a return journey, as the journey time by this route is under two hours. [2] [6] [7] [8]
The Gotthard railway, named after the Saint-Gotthard Massif which it crosses, is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between northern and southern Europe, especially on the Rotterdam-Basel-Genoa corridor. The Gotthard Railway Company was the former private railway company that financed the construction of and originally operated that line.
The Voralpen-Express (VAE) is a named train connecting small to medium-sized cities and villages in Central and Eastern Switzerland, carrying this name since 1992. It is operated by Südostbahn (SOB) and runs every hour as an InterRegio (IR) between St. Gallen and Lucerne, bypassing Zurich. Its name derives from the fact that it traverses the Prealps.
Lucerne railway station is a major hub of the rail network of Switzerland, in the city of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne. It is a terminal station serving domestic and international traffic on several rail lines, and is situated in a city centre and waterfront location on the south side of Lake Lucerne.
The Südostbahn – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a Swiss railway company, and a 1,435 mmstandard gauge network in Central and Eastern Switzerland. It resulted from the merger of the original SOB with the Bodensee–Toggenburg railway (BT) at the end of 2001.
Arth-Goldau railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth.
Göschenen railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Uri and municipality of Göschenen. Situated on the original line of the Gotthard railway, at the northern mouth of the Gotthard Tunnel, the station is also the junction point with the Schöllenenbahn. Most trains on the Gotthard route now use the Gotthard Base Tunnel and do not pass through Göschenen station.
Lugano railway station is the main railway station of the city of Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The station is on the Gotthard railway and is also the terminus of the Lugano Città–Stazione funicular. The metre gauge Lugano–Ponte Tresa Railway (FLP) has a separate station at Lugano FLP railway station across the station forecourt from the main line station.
Locarno railway station serves the city of Locarno, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. However, the station is located within the adjacent municipality of Muralto, near the shore of Lake Maggiore. The border between the two municipalities runs along the Torrente Ramogna stream, a short distance to the south and west of the station.
Bellinzona railway station serves the town of Bellinzona, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is on the Swiss Federal Railways' Gotthard line. The station is nicknamed Porta del Ticino since the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016.
Brunnen railway station is a railway station serving the resort of Brunnen, in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Ingenbohl. It is located on the Gotthard railway, and is served by long-distance trains as well as by commuter and suburban trains.
Flüelen railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Uri and municipality of Flüelen. It is located on the Gotthard railway. The station is situated between the parallel Axenstrasse, the main road through Flüelen, and Bahnhofstrasse, with the main station buildings on Bahnhofstrasse.
The Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees or Lake Lucerne Navigation Company is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Lucerne. The company is based in the city of Lucerne, and its origins can be traced back to 1836. Today it is the largest inland shipping company in Switzerland, and is notable for operating a number of historic paddle steamers, in addition to more modern motor vessels.
Giubiasco railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Ticino and municipality of Bellinzona. The station is on the Swiss Federal Railways Gotthard railway, between Bellinzona and Lugano, and is a junction point with several other lines.
Airolo railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Ticino and municipality of Airolo. The station is on the original line of the Swiss Federal Railways Gotthard railway, at the southern entrance to the Gotthard Tunnel. Most trains on the Gotthard route now use the Gotthard Base Tunnel and do not pass through Airolo station.
Altdorf railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Uri and municipality of Altdorf. The station is situated on the Gotthard railway north of its crossing of the Alps, and is the most southerly station before that line splits into the older route via Erstfeld and the original Gotthard Tunnel, and the newer route via the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The station was reconstructed between 2019 and 2021.
The Giubiasco–Locarno railway is a railway in Switzerland. It was built by the Gotthard Railway Company on 20 December 1874 as part of the line through the Ticino valley. With the nationalisation of the Gotthard Railway on 1 May 1909, the line became part of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB).
The Rapperswil–Pfäffikon railway is a 3.51 km (2.18 mi) long, mostly single-tracked standard-gauge railway line connecting Pfäffikon in the Swiss canton of Schwyz with Rapperswil in the canton of St. Gallen, crossing Lake Zürich using the Hurden peninsula and Seedamm causeway.
The original Schweizerische Südostbahn was a railway company in Central Switzerland with its headquarters in Wädenswil. It was created in 1890 by the merger of the Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn and the Zürichsee–Gotthardbahn and operated the standard gauge adhesion railways on the Rapperswil–Arth-Goldau and the Wädenswil–Einsiedeln routes. It merged in 2001 with the Bodensee–Toggenburg railway (Bodensee-Toggenburg-Bahn) to form the "new" Südostbahn.
Luzern Bahnhofquai is a quay and shipping terminal in the city of Lucerne, in Switzerland. It is located at the northwest corner of Lake Lucerne, where the river Reuss leaves the lake and flows north toward the Aare. It is served by the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company. The terminal is located across the Bahnhofplatz from Lucerne's primary railway station.
The InterCity, abbreviated IC, are mainline trains in Switzerland connecting the country's major agglomerations, the range of services of which is located between InterRegio (IR) (inter-regional) and EuroCity (EC). These trains are generally equipped with air-conditioned equipment, a CFF restaurant or a CFF bistro, a mini-bar service, a quiet area and a business area in 1st class as well as a family area or, occasionally, a family car in 2nd class.