Panorama Express, abbreviated PE, is a special category of long-distance train in Switzerland. It was introduced with the December 2019 timetable change, and is generally used to denote tourism-focused services. [1]
Characteristics of a Panorama Express can include first- and second-class seating, air-conditioned coaches, and a limited number of intermediate stops. Advance reservations are often required but not necessarily compulsory. [2]
The following is a list of trains that operate under the PE category:
Previously, the Voralpen Express also ran as a PE, but it was subsequently changed to InterRegio (IR). [1]
Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country.
Rail transport in Switzerland is noteworthy for the density of its network, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-Alp freight system. It is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics.
The InterRegio, often shortened to IR, is a train service in use in some European countries with Swiss Federal Railways operating the most dense network. InterRegio trains are semi-fast long-distance trains with more stops and usually lower prices than more upscale long-distance trains such as the InterCity.
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.
Flüelen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.
The Voralpen-Express (VAE) is a named train connecting small to medium-sized cities and villages in Central and Eastern Switzerland on a scenic route, 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.
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. It is jointly operated by the Swiss Federal Railways, who operate the train, and the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company, who operates the boat. Previous iterations of the train ran to a southern terminus at Locarno rather than the current terminus at Lugano.
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.
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.
Schwyz railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Schwyz, the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. Opened in 1882, it is owned and operated by the Swiss Federal Railways, and forms part of the Gotthard railway, which links northern Switzerland and Immensee with Chiasso and Italy, via the Gotthard Tunnel.
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.
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.
The Lucerne–Immensee railway line is a railway line in Switzerland that connects Lucerne with Immensee, the starting point of the Gotthard railway. It was built by the Gotthardbahn-Gesellschaft (GB) and opened on 1 June 1897 as the approach from Lucerne to the Gotthard railway. With the nationalisation of the Gotthardbahn on 1 May 1909, the line became the property of the Swiss Federal Railways.
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.
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.