Montreux railway station

Montreux
Montreux
	The station building in 2012
General information
Location	Avenue des Alpes 74; Montreux ; Switzerland
Coordinates	46°26′9.1500″N6°54′37.5631″E / 46.435875000°N 6.910434194°E
Elevation	395 m (1,296 ft)
Owned by	Swiss Federal Railways
Line(s)	Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye line ; Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line ; Simplon line ;
Distance	24.5 km (15.2 mi) from Lausanne
Platforms	7
Train operators	Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway ; Swiss Federal Railways ; Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera ;
Connections	VMCA buses and trolleybuses
Other information
Fare zone	73 (mobilis)
History
Opened	1861
Passengers
2018	16,500 per weekday
Services
Location

Last updated December 14, 2023

Montreux railway station (French : Gare de Montreux) is the largest of the railway stations serving the municipality of Montreux, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

History

Montreux railway station was opened in 1861, when the then Jura–Simplon Railway (JS) opened the Lausanne–Villeneuve section of its standard gauge Simplon railway line to Sion. This line is now owned and operated by SBB-CFF-FFS.

In 1901, the station became a junction station upon the opening of the first section of the metre gauge Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line, between Montreux and its higher-altitude suburb of Les Avants. In 1903, the MOB was extended to Montbovon.

In 1909, the Chemin de fer Montreux–Glion opened the Montreux–Glion section of the Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway line rack railway was opened, as an extension of the original 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in) line of Chemin de fer Glion–Rochers-de-Naye, opened in 1892. It is now operated by Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera.

Location

The station is on a hillside above the lake.

Access to and from Montreux's main street, Grand Rue, is by escalators, elevators and stairs. The Rue de la Gare provides access to and from the old town, which is divided from the lake shore by the standard gauge railway tracks.

Layout

The station complex is in many ways a rarity. Montreux is most distinctive for being one of the few stations in the world (and the only station in Switzerland) served by three different track gauges:^[5] SBB-CFF-FFS 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), MOB 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) and MVR 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in). Its having three gauges is something shared by Gare de Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg in the French Pyrénées.

Second, access from the station building to the railway platforms is from the second floor, not the ground floor, due to the slope of the city, while the service facilities are at ground floor level, and access to the underpass can be found on the first floor.

Apart from these unusual features, the station also lacks a track 2. In the past, the designation track 2 was allocated to a passing loop not equipped with a platform. However, in 2006, as part of work done to increase the height of the platforms to 55 centimetres (22 in), this track was provided with a platform and renamed track 1, and the former platform 1 was removed.^[6]

The SBB-CFF-FFS serves the main platform with track 1, and also operates track 3, which, together with the MOB tracks 4 (east half) and 5 (western half), serves a centre platform. Track 4 partially divides that platform in two.

Tracks 6, 7 and 8 serve a further central platform, which is similarly partially divided in two by track 7. Track 8, operated by the MVR, is situated underneath both a hotel and the MOB/MVR headquarters, known as the GoldenPass Centre.

Whereas tracks 4 and 7 are used by regional traffic to and from Fontanivent, Sonzier and Les Avants, tracks 5 and 6 are for trains to and from Zweisimmen.

Services

As of the December 2023 timetable change,^[update] the following services call at Montreux:^[7]

Swiss Federal Railways

InterRegio: half-hourly service between Geneva Airport and Brig.
RegioExpress:
- hourly service between St-Maurice and Annemasse (on weekdays) or Geneva Airport (on weekends).
- single daily round-trip between Renens VD and St-Maurice.

RER Vaud

RER Vaud R3 / R4 : half-hourly (hourly on weekends) service between Vallorbe and Aigle; hourly service to Le Brassus; hourly service to St-Maurice on weekdays.

Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line

GoldenPass Express : four round-trips to Interlaken Ost via Zweisimmen.
Panorama Express / Regio: half-hourly service to Les Avants and hourly service to Zweisimmen.

Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera

Regio: hourly service to Rochers-de-Naye.

Bus traffic

A total of three VMCV bus stops serve the station:

Vernex-Dessus on motor bus lines 4,5 and 6;
Montreux Gare on motor bus lines 4,5 and 6;
Escalier de la Gare on trolleybus line 1, access via escalators to Grand Boulevard.

Related Research Articles

The Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway is a company that operates an electrified railway line, the Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line, in southwest Switzerland, one of the oldest electric railways in the country. Its main line, 62.4 km (38.8 mi) in length, is built to the 1,000 mm gauge. It connects Montreux, Gstaad, and Zweisimmen. At Zweisimmen, passengers may transfer to the Zweisimmen to Spiez line — a standard gauge line owned by BLS AG. A 12.9 km (8.0 mi) branch-line also connects Zweisimmen to Lenk.

The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-alp freight system. This is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics.

The Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway line is an electrically operated rack railway in Switzerland with a track gauge of 800 mm. The line connects the resort of Montreux, on the shores of Lake Geneva, with the summit of the Rochers de Naye mountain. The line operates via the village of Glion, on the mountainside above Montreux, where it connects with the Territet–Glion funicular.

The Territet–Glion funicular railway is a funicular in Switzerland, which runs between the Territet and Glion suburbs of the town of Montreux. At its upper terminus, the funicular connects with the Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway line.

The Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera (MVR) is a Swiss railway company. It was formed in 2001 from the merger of four railway companies: the Chemins de fer électriques Veveysans, the Chemin de fer Les Avants-Sonloup, the Chemin de fer Montreux-Glion-Rochers-de-Naye, and the Chemin de fer funiculaire Vevey-Chardonne-Mont Pèlerin. Since this time they have been added to the marketing portfolio of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB) group and are featured as part of their "GoldenPass services."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GoldenPass Line</span> Train route in the Swiss Alps

The GoldenPass Line is a tourist-orientated train route in the Swiss Alps with its base in Montreux. It is not a legal entity but operates and manages the following companies:

Lausanne railway station is the main intercity and regional railway station for the city of Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. It is often known as Lausanne CFF to distinguish it from others in the town.

Vevey railway station is a public transport hub not far from the shore of Lake Geneva. It serves the municipality of Vevey, in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

La Chaux-de-Fonds railway station serves the municipality of La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

The Simplon Railway is a line that links Lausanne in Switzerland and Domodossola in Italy, via Brig. The 20 km (12 mi)-long Simplon Tunnel is a major part of it. The line between Lausanne and Vallorbe is sometimes considered to form part of the line, making it 233 km (145 mi) long.

The Spiez–Zweisimmen railway is a single-track standard-gauge line in Switzerland that is currently operated by BLS AG. It was formerly owned by the Spiez-Erlenbach-Zweisimmen-Bahn (SEZ), also called the Simmentalbahn. The line runs from Spiez through the Simmental to Zweisimmen. It is marketed as part of the GoldenPass Line between Lucerne and Montreux, which also includes the metre-gauge Brünig Railway and Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line and part of the standard-gauge Lake Thun Railway.

Zweisimmen railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Zweisimmen, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is the terminus of the standard gauge Spiez–Zweisimmen line and of the 1,000 mm Montreux–Zweisimmen and Zweisimmen–Lenk im Simmental lines. The station is across the street from the valley station of the gondola to the top of the Rinderberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line</span> Railway line in Switzerland

The Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line is a metre-gauge electric railway line in Switzerland run by the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB) and links Montreux on Lake Geneva by way of Les Avants, Montbovon, Rossinière, Château-d'Œx, Rougemont, Saanen, Gstaad and Zweisimmen with Lenk im Simmental. It leads through the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg and Bern. Running along the section between Montreux and Zweisimmen is the GoldenPass Line. The Montreux–Lenk line is one of the oldest electric railways in the country. Its main line, 75.1 km (46.7 mi) in length, is built to the 1,000 mm gauge. At Zweisimmen, passengers may transfer to the Spiez–Erlenbach–Zweisimmen line, a standard gauge line owned by BLS AG. A 12.9 km (8.0 mi) branch line also connects Zweisimmen to Lenk.

Territet railway station is a railway station in the locality of Territet, within the municipality of Montreux, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is an intermediate stop on the standard gauge Simplon line of Swiss Federal Railways. The station is across the street from the valley station of the Territet–Glion funicular railway. Funiculaire Territet–Mont Fleuri was closed in 1992.

Clarens railway station is a railway station in the locality of Clarens, within the municipality of Montreux, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is an intermediate stop on the standard gauge Simplon line of Swiss Federal Railways.

Blankenburg railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Zweisimmen, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is an intermediate stop on the 1,000 mm Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway.

Matten railway station is a railway station in the municipality of St. Stephan, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is an intermediate stop on the 1,000 mm Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway.

Boden railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Lenk im Simmental, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is an intermediate stop on the 1,000 mm Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway.

Belmont-sur-Montreux railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Montreux, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is located on the 1,000 mm Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway.

Chamby railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Montreux, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is located at the junction of the 1,000 mmmetre gauge Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway the and Blonay–Chamby railway line of Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera. The latter is operated as a heritage railway by the Blonay–Chamby Museum Railway.

References

1 2 Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 72. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
↑ "Plan de réseau VMCV" (PDF) (in French). Transports publics Vevey-Montreux-Chillon-Villeneuve. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
↑ "Plan Mobilis". Mobilis Vaud. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
↑ "Passagierfrequenz". Swiss Federal Railways. September 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
↑ Stefan Dringenberg. "Montreux-Oberland Bernois-Bahn - Beschreibung" [Montreux-Oberland Bernois-Bahn - Description]. Rail-Info Schweiz (in German). Manfred Luckmann, Stefan Dringenberg. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
↑ "MOB - Plan de la gare de Montreux et de Rochers de Naye" [MOB - Map of Montreux railway station and Rochers de Naye]. Forum du Rail en Suisse (in French). Retrieved 9 November 2010.
↑ "Départ: Gare de Montreux" (PDF). Swiss Federal Railways (in French). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[saw-1] 1 2 Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 72. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.

[vmca-2] "Plan de réseau VMCV" (PDF) (in French). Transports publics Vevey-Montreux-Chillon-Villeneuve. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

[mobilis-vaud-3] "Plan Mobilis". Mobilis Vaud. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

[4] "Passagierfrequenz". Swiss Federal Railways. September 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

[rail-info-5] Stefan Dringenberg. "Montreux-Oberland Bernois-Bahn - Beschreibung" [Montreux-Oberland Bernois-Bahn - Description]. Rail-Info Schweiz (in German). Manfred Luckmann, Stefan Dringenberg. Retrieved 9 November 2010.

[forum-6] "MOB - Plan de la gare de Montreux et de Rochers de Naye" [MOB - Map of Montreux railway station and Rochers de Naye]. Forum du Rail en Suisse (in French). Retrieved 9 November 2010.

[depart-7] "Départ: Gare de Montreux" (PDF). Swiss Federal Railways (in French). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]