Why you HAVE TO ride on the Voralpen Express line! - SOB Traverso Review
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 05. 2022
- Hello, and welcome back to another train review!
Today I'm trying out Südostbahn (SOB)'s newest train, the Stadler Traverso.
I'm travelling on the Voralpen-Express route from St Gallen to Luzern, which offers some fantastic sights, on this spectacular new train. These units are also used on the Treno Gottardo and Aare Linth routes.
Enjoy the video!
---
Journey Details:
Origin: St. Gallen
Destination: Luzern
Company: Südostbahn (SOB)
Train: SBB 526 Stadler FLIRT 'Traverso'
Accommodation: First Class Seat (1st)
Distance: 78 miles / 126 kilometres
Price: 84 CHF / £66.10 / €77.40 / $90.70
Time: 2h16m
---
Find me elsewhere:
superalbs.weebly.com/
/ superalbs
/ superalbstravels
/ superalbstravels
I like how you make an effort to pronounce German and Italian names as they really actually sound to natives, as opposed to Anglicising them.
And btw, the Swiss Transport Museum is worth the visit. Especially for a youtuber whose specialty is trains. You can also get to ride a miniature steam train which goes around the museum
Thanks! I'm glad you notice the effort, it's a detail I love perfecting. I'll have to try and get back to do the museum also, sounds fun!
@@SuperalbsTravels I appreciate that you try to pronounce German words correctly.
Leider neigen viele Englisch-sprachige dazu, Namen aus anderen Sprachen in Englisch auszusprechen. Das hab ich auch schon in Frankreich erlebt. Ein Amerikaner fragte mich nach dem Weg nach Behsengkn. Gemeint war Besancon.
Especially when it comes to Schwyzerdütsch. :)
@@helilebon2383 "Behsengkn" 😂😂😂
I can't stress enough how impressed I am by your videos since you switched to a narrated style. So good! Like you, I did like the dot pattern decals and livery.
Good isn't he 😊
I agree! 👍
Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad to hear that it's as enjoyable for you as it is for me. 😍😍😍
The same!
As a swiss I must say your pronunciations of swiss place names are pretty good!
Thanks! Glad that you noticed the effort. 😇
great video! If you wonder: The "SZ" in Pfäffikon SZ is short for the canton schwyz, so It's not confused with another Pfäffikon in the Canton of Zurich.
Thanks! I did notice that in researching, I'd always wondered why so many Swiss places had two-letter suffixes in the station names!
@@SuperalbsTravels It‘s basically the same as in the U.S. which also uses these suffixes for its states. Switzerland is a federalist country.
new FLIRTs look absolutely gorgeous in my opinion
Arth Goldau might be the starting point of the Gotthard Panorama Express train, but if you want the real treat, take the advertised combo of taking the ship from Lucerne to Flüelen, and then the Panorama Express to Lugano.
And yes, the transport museum is definitely worth it! I dare say it is the best transport museum I've ever been in. Make sure to be there at opening time, because you will need the entire day. It is absolutely packed with both exhibits and people.
I did read about that when researching the service. Might have to give it a try!
@@SuperalbsTravels I can highly recommend it! 😊 Also, try to get a day pass for the Swiss rail network - they can be as cheap as CHF 65 for first class - and then you only need to book a reservation for the train part to Lugano, which will cost about 10 Francs. That way you can use the upper deck on the ships, and it is cheaper than the second class combo offer the SBB advertise.
@@dziltener Great little sneaky tip there, thanks a lot for that!
We did the route the other way from Lugano to Flüelen before taking the ship to Luzern.
There also was plenty time to hop off at Viznau and ride up the Rigi.
I did a week rail tour in Switzerland back in 2020. As it was winter time I spent most of my time in the mountain areas, as well as some lower valleys, but next time St Gallen will be on the visit list. Their 1st class rail pass was great value.
A really scenic route I did not know about. I think the train is beautifully designed too - I wish more operators put such an effort in the design department. Please review more Swiss routes - they never get old. Agree with the comments regarding your pronounciation - really appreciate the effort you put into that.
Thank you! More Swiss already recorded, and will be recording more in the coming weeks - including some big ones!
I travel on a train similar to this (class 745 British rail) and they're great! love them
I've used them a bit too, and they are similar! But these Traverso units are even better. 😎
@@SuperalbsTravels I can see that!
Looks like SOB has thought everything through when designing their trains, which is so good to see. Awesome video as always, keep up the good work! :D
Certainly, and thanks!
The only negative I can think off is one toilet only per train set. I wonder if they could have ordered FLIRTs with two toilets, as they are usually used as regional trains with only one toilet.
Visit the the verkehrshaus!! Thats sooo worth it greetings from a swiss train driver👋🏼
I'm so jealous. I've been to Switzerland 5 times and LOVE it there. I did a big 10 day holiday there with my parents in 1995, staying near Luzern and we visited the transport museum (amazing, definitely go there). We rode the line from Zurich airport to Luzern, the Brunig pass line to Interlaken, the line to Engelberg and the Pilatus and Rigi mountain railways (insanely steep). I've also visited Geneva, Bern and Basel. All amazing. Your video makes me want to go back.
I highly recommend going back - it's lovely (if you have the budget)!
Amazing video! You can see how comfortable the train is in terms of services and travel quality, incredible!
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed. :)
Thank you for a great video ! I agree the new SOB Traverso units are excellent in every way. The run over the old Gotthard route to Bellinzona in one of these units is quite spectacular !
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, and also glad you enjoy the journeys on these units! :)
My profession leaded me 1963 from Stuttgart to St. Gallen. The Voralpenexpress is a cats jump in front of my village. Congrats, the Stadler‘s trains are the best and you made an excellent video of them
Thanks very much!
Theyre indeed surprisingly good. The first time I saw one at HB in Zurich, I thought what a nice looking train, special… then i got to ride on one on my way from chur to zurich, and damn its such a pleasent experience. Id say the seating is a bit worse than on the older carriage trains from sbb, but the feeling you get when you walk into these SOB trains, its like youre walking into a wide open area, and theyre usually not too full, at least on the routes i was on. All together great experience, will definitely pick this train over the IR Trains sbb offers (the new double decker ones that feel like an S Bahn on the inside)
Good video but I don't need the music!
I drive with this train almost every day (but in 2nd class, tho 😅) and it's my favourite train. It's just a very nice train with alot of great design choices. And I love how you pronounced the german words!
Underrated channel
Thank you so much! I agree! 😅
I liked the video very much, especially your effort to pronounce the names correctly, that's very nice touch!
I live in the Ticino Canton, so I know these trains because they arrive in my home town (Locarno) as Treno Gottardo. They are indeed very nice!
Thank you very much! These units sure do get around don't they. :)
the fact that you pronounced all that perfectly amazes me
The train and scenery are excellent and you have done a superb job of presenting both in a most engaging way. Your channel has definitely stepped up to become high quality and very professional. You have also developed a very attractive style in the audio, blending the informative commentary with appropriate music where the levels almost always work seamlessly between edit points. Great stuff. 😀
I'm glad you appreciate the effort! I really enjoy the new style, it's so much more fun to make. Thanks for the feedback!
The museum is absolutely worth a visit! In opposotion, I'm sad that I didn't have a chance to ride this train from St. Gallen, but I did get to see a lot of the developed area of Switzerland.This was amazing, and looked well worth it!
Beautiful train inside and out...breathtaking Swiss scenery....and crisp narration filled with interesting information. Thank you.
Stunning natural beauty coupled with amazing on train features. Thanks for sharing
I LOVE Switzerland and its railway system - I'd happily live there (if I could afford to!). Some years ago, while working in Zurich, I took a circuit of Zurichsee, and stopped off at Rapperswil - very impressive little town and to my surprise had a Polish war museum (my Polish wife loved it). Luzern is cool too, I recommend a trip on the lake: it took most of the day but is stunning. I was travelling (last summer) on a day ticket, cost CHF50 for discount card holders (bought by my wife's cousin who lives in Schaffhausen), that covered all travel on trains (including Regio Express and Intercity), trams, buses and the lake steamers for the day in question. Great value and highly recommended!
Ye if you know what to buy the prices here are not bad at all… I pay 100chf a month to travel throught Zurich towards Horgen on all transportation, which I as a swiss person find totally reasonable and not overpriced at all. However I could see how for tourists the prices might look insane, especially if you go for longer rides.
What superb production quality ! From the the background music to the satelite/arial shots of the train stations. Well done.
Thank you very much! More to come soon. 😁
Such a beautiful day! I really am enjoying the narration! Great job!
Thanks! Glad to hear you like it. It was a great day for travelling.
This train goes from Zürich to Zug (where I live), and I always time is so I can take the SOB 😂 It’s so beautiful!
I ride this kind of train every day when commuting to work from Arth-Goldau to Zurich (Interregio 46 service), while I am generally happy with the new rolling stock, there is one thing I really dislike: whenever the train starts to enter a curve, you can hear those cylinders between the cars, you can hear it in the video aswell, that sound when they contract/expand. But yeah, I complain at a very high level. Very nice trip review from you!
Thanks! It can be a bit annoying, but I'm glad you enjoyed the video. :)
I somewhat regularly travel from the middle to both directions to see friends and the views are just ETHIFDDUU
I really enjoyed this video! The narration was great and left nothing to be wished for in my opinion. I have a friend that's always raving about these new SOB trains, so now I got to see why.
Thank you very much! They are indeed an impressive ride, so I can see why your friend likes them!
I like how this Guy is so really Calm and Nice.
Great document. I now feel compelled to try the Traverso train ride.
Enjoyed the video very much. I did the Arth Goldau to Luzern section on a brand new unit in 2019 and was very impressed. I also did the Gotthard Panorama Express on the same tour- definitely worth a review. Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks for the nice comment! I'll see what I can do about the Gotthard Panorama Express. 😄
Very nice vid! I've been two or three times in Luzern and took the opportunity to visit the "Verkehrshaus". It is absolutely worth a visit!
A most enjoyable review!! I liked your correct and fluent pronunciation of the Swiss German names here too!! 👏👍 Your narration style was also refreshing and enjoyable to watch.
Swiss trains are blessed with efficiency and breathtaking views.
Thanks and I look forward to the next one!!
Thanks for watching! I am glad you liked it, and I can't wait to share more with you. I appreciate the feedback from you too. 😁
@@SuperalbsTravels You’re most welcome!! It was a pleasure ✌️
Loved the video. Switzerland is a beautiful country I must visit again I have not been for over 20 years.
Thank you. :)
Absolutely beautiful train ride. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Just saw your video today. I live in lucerne and in my childhood days I went to the Swiss museum of Transport every Wednesday afternoon. As a transport fan its an absolute must see. Tell me when you come to Lucerne next.
In Goldau you missed the oldest line running there, the rackrailway up mt Rigi ;)
And in contrast to everyone else, I would not recommend to visti the transport museum right now, as the oldest part, train hall 1 has been torn down and is currently under construction. Which results in a scaled down train collection at the moment. But hopefully it gets up to full size again with the new hall after it's opened, which would be the perfect time for a visit
Amazing ❤🚂❤
Thanks for a scenic journey! Can’t wait to get back to Switzerland…..gotta save up 😂 The last time I flew from Poland to Zurich I immediately switched to “supermarket mode” as restaurants are just a no go zone $$$$$ 🇨🇦
Great video and good to be (virtually) back on the SOB Traverso - I commuted from Thalwil nr Zurich to Chur in February on one of those. I believe it was the Aare Linth service. Then I took RhB to Klosters. Fun times. Beautiful scenery.
Sounds lovely, I'm really excited to use the RhB! 😎
Ich lebe im Zürcher Oberland und liebe diese Strecke auch sehr, oft benutze ich auch die Teilstrecken.❤️
I'm Swiss and I was really pleasantly surprised by these trains. Even the branded beer is pretty good and it's price is, sad to say, not even particularly expensive for Swiss standards. The beautiful design is just the cherry on top.
Amazing video buddy 😁🇨🇭
Thanks as always! ❤️
Great video, must do a round trip next time I visit family in Switzerland - Schaffhausen to St.Gallen, then this train, followed by RegioExpress to Zurich and the S-Bahn from there back to Schaffhausen. Now that would bw a nice day. Best railway system in the world, IMO. Tnx for the inspiration!
Not a problem! You'll have to let me know how it goes. Hopefully I'll have more inspiration to come... 😍
Awesome.
Very nice! I travelled on the old Voralpenexpress, when it started in Romanshorn (and the Ferry from Friedrichshafen stopped direct at the platforms of the station). But I know the "Traverso" on the "Treno Gottardo" - and I love it! Some months ago I spent a night in Airolo and was some time at the platform and: This is te quietest train I know!!
I wish I could have had a ride on the older trains... :(
Excellent! A lovely video.
I'm travelling next month on the old Gottardo mountain route, and hope I get one of these bronze beauties! Like you, I'll be using an Interrail pass.
Sounds good! I think that route does use these tbh.
The scenic route looks fabulous
Sure is!
Another great watch. Using Google Earth to highlight the journey is a great addition.
Thank you very much as always! :)
I don't know what you expect, but for me the shades seem perfectly fine.
Fair enough, though to be honest I was happier to look at the scenery anyway. :)
The Swiss Transport Museum is my favorite museum in the world. But the last time I went there was in 2021. So I wish to be able to go there in 2024 or 2025.
Damn... as a swiss guy i just love it how you pronounce the swiss names of villages and cantons in a english accent😂 it sounds very good btw!
Thank you, accurate enough I hope!? 😁😁😁
14:10 - This is one of the best views I have ever seen on a train.
It was a truly outrageous bit of route. The whole thing is great, in fact.
Great video as always! Love the Google Earth - keep up the good work!
Thank you very much, glad to hear you enjoyed it!
@@SuperalbsTravels No problem!
@@SuperalbsTravels yeah the Google Earth route showcase is the coolest route map section I've seen on any train trip report channel, they're great!
This is very much like the Greater Anglia Class 745, the nose design is the same but the SOB version has a lower floor.
Yup, they're really similar
The world's transport would be vastly improved if run by the Swiss!
The Swiss Transport Museum is absolutely worth a one day visit!
Thanks for this great video.
And yes, I think the SOB is on a very good way (or let's say track), attractive trains, good service, nice connections, and serving on great routes through wonderful switzerland
Thanks for watching! I'll have to take your advice about the museum, and yeah I agree, the trains were great. 😊
There are request stops on the local Lines of SOB. Thats why the buttons are there. Usually the grey Trains are serving the local lines. But like this it's the possibility to serve the lokal lines with these Trains too.
Aha, that makes sense. Good idea to have, just in case! Thanks.
Nice video!
Thank you! 😊
The "SZ" in Pfäffikon standy for "Schwyz", the canton it is located. The reason being that there is a Pfäffikon ZH (in Zurich) as well. There are quite a few town names that exist in multiple cantons ("Buchs" or "Au" for instance)
awesome vid dude!!! Next summer im going to ride trains in Switzerland for my college graduation present and i want to ride the glacier express, bernina express, thurbo seelinie/lake line, gotthard panorama express, voralpen-express, and golden pass line. id love to see review vids of them in future!
Sounds incredible! Going to be checking out a few of those some time, stay tuned! 👀
@@SuperalbsTravels awesome!!! Also if i do an indepedent tour i want to ride the luzern-interlaken express. i forgot to mention that one earlier. also there r some epic mountain railroads u should do like Gornergrat in Zermatt and Jungfrau in Intertlaken
Great video. Big climb for a train from 400 to over 900m fair play.
Please do a video on the Gotthard panorama express. Would love to see it.
Thanks! It was a very impressive bit of track, and as I said, you could really feel it pulling on the train.
I'll try and get a video on that soon. :)
Nice. You started out in my hometown.
Ooh nice one! 😁
Very good 👍🏻
Thanks
11:05 Pfäffikon SZ: "SZ" is official short for the Canton of Schwyz, also used on licence plates and so on. (Each swiss Canton has a two letter short Like: St.Gallen SG, Zürich ZH, Luzern LU, Appenzell Innerhoden AI, Appenzell Ausserrhoden AR etc.
Where there are multiple Villages/Cities with the same Name like it's the case here, often the Canton is added to tell which of the 3 Pfäffikon's around Switzerland it is.
Interesting, I thought that might have been it. Thanks for confirming!
@@SuperalbsTravels Sometimes also other indicators are used Like f.ex. "Büren a.d.Aare (an der Aare)" Büren at the Aare (a River) or "Affoltern a.A. (am Albis)" Affoltern by the Albis (A Mountain) or "Wengi (Frutigen)" The Wengi that's in Frutigen municipality....
It's basically the same as "Stratford upon Avon" vs. "Stratford (London)"or "Newcastle upon Tyne" vs. "Newcastle under Lyme"in England
These are the two letter shorts of the 26 swiss Cantons
Language(s) G = German F = French I = Italian R = Romansh
AG Aargau G
AI Appenzell Innerrhoden G
AR Appenzell Ausserrhoden G
BE Bern / Berne G F
BL Basel Landschaft G
BS Basel Stadt G
FR Freiburg / Fribourg G F
GE Genf / Genéve F
GL Glarus G
GR Graubünden / Grigioni / Grischun G I R
JU Jura / Jura F
LU Luzern G
NE Neuenburg / Neuchâtel F
NW Nidwalden G
OW Obwalden G
SH Schaffhausen G
SG St.Gallen G
SO Solothurn G
SZ Schwyz G
TG Thurgau G
TI Tessin / Ticino I
UR Uri G
VD Waadt / Vaud F
VS Wallis / Valais G F
ZH Zürich G
ZG Zug G
This looks very similar to the train layout on the Paris to Epernay route. Certainly one to try if/ when I'm back in Switzerland :)
Love to see a video of that panorama train
I'll see what I can do next year! :)
Ride it everyday in first class. Love the train
The Swiss Railwaymuseum at Luzern is definately worth a visit.
I really recommend the Vehrkehrshaus in Luzern a lot of trains you can touch and go inside a few of them really cool recommend.
15:19 Damn, sitting on the right is a must here! 😆
Exactly! But I think overall, the left side is better. 😍
Nice 👌
Thanks
The fact that the cab of these units looks similar to the class 745 and 755 operated by greater Anglia
As usual your videos are fantastic , always amazed how you take such care to pronounce place names extremely accurately, even in Turkey.
I think you overuse the word product though 🤣 ....
Anyway looking forward to tuning into your next product
Hahaha, thanks!
Yes please
Hi, yes please what? 🤔
Stadler is in my opinion the best train producer
The transport museum in Luzern is worth a visit, have been there.
Regarding power outlets. The so called Eurostecker (the small 2 pin euro plug) is compatible with the Swiss sockets.
Yes these Routs have requested stops. At some stops it will automatically halt during the rush hour and require a request during the rest of the day and some are always on request. I'm pretty sure Samstagern is a request stop late in the evening
The Traverso also runs as an S-Bahn in the morning, or is sometimes used as an S-Bahn. At some S-Bahn stops the train only stops if you press the stop button (like the bus in Switzerland). That's why there is a stop button on the train. Greetings from a SOB employee
Oh cool, thanks! 😃
11:11 The SZ stands for Schwyz, as there is another place called Pfäffikon in the canton of Zurich (ZH)
Interesting, they must be quite close together, so I guess differentiating the two is important!
Officially the livery is "copper" and was chosen to emphasize "value and technology".
Herisau is an interesting hub as it offers connections to SBB as well as Appenzellerbahn, another slower and also very scenic narrow gauge line connecting to another branch to St Gallen (formerly a rack railway, now operated by light rail units).
Some of the old cars of the Voralpenexpress (modernized 1950s/60s EW I coaches called Revvivo) were sold to MÁV Nosztalgia and rebuilt for multi-system power supply, now operating excursion trains in Hungary.
Südostbahn is curiously named as it isn't actually the railway operating in the southeastern part of Switzerland (that's Rhätische Bahn), but it does form a link between the east (the area around St. Gallen) and the south (connecting to the Gotthard line in Arth-Goldau and Luzern). And while RhB is the most spectacular (top of the top is the Bernina pass for me), I love the variety of landscapes that SOB has to offer. Ah, there's so much in a little country, hard to pick any favourites!
Together with some other commenters I recommend the Swiss transport museum which is among the top railway museums, together with Mulhouse/France and York/England.
As for the Traverso, I'm living in Austria, often taking trains between Graz, Linz and Salzburg, which are currently operated with class 1044 and a mix of intercity cars and "Cityshuttle" cab cars (with no airconditioning, no plugs and open discharge toilets). I think for these secondary mainlines a train like the Traverso would be ideal, accessible with good view and plenty of bicycle space too (which wasn't shown in the video).
Thanks for the very insightful comment. Think I need to go to the museum now! :)
The train looked like the 745/755 STADLER FLIRTS in the UK
They're both built by Stadler so it makes sense. Was thinking the same thing by the thumbnail
I mean they are from the same family of train so I’d hope they’d look the same. These in the video are called stadler flirts
Would love to see you review the Gotthard Panorama 😀
Excellent video, as always. Thanks. Haven't tried the Traverso services yet, but have travelled on the Voralpen Express in the former rolling stock. That was fine too and had similar facilities such as the vending machines. As you rightly say, the scenery is magnificent. Also would love to use this rolling stock on the Gotthard Express in due course.
Thank you very much! I do wish I could have tried the older stuff...
I like Switserland a lot, been there only twice. It's certainly worth visiting it again and then using trains. The only thing against it are the costs having a vacation there. I've been in Luzern too, did some sightseeing in the Old City. I like the lake and the Kapellbrücke, so old and still excisting.
By the way, the FLIRT trains are indeed regional trains all around Europe. I only could wish that that would look like this model in my country (Netherlands), in that case people would love them.
I've seen the Dutch ones, they're not quite as good! :/
You as a train enthusiast should take in the Swiss Transport Museum next time in Lucerne it is spectacular.
Regarding Gotthard Panoramic Express it uses the old tunnels via Gosnöchen Uri Swiss German Ariolo Ticino Italian Speaking part and the spirals. Eurocity ETR610 Rabe 503 via Gotthard Base Tunnel. At Arth Goldau there's the Rabe 523 S-Bahn Luzern
Thanks for the information, it seems like a route I have to do!
It's a very pleasant route to ride, and impressive for the gradients and engineering too, although not quite as impressive as some of the true mountain lines. I rode it on the older trains in about 2014, when the Voralpen Express ran through from the Bodensee/Lake Constance ferry terminal at Romanshorn.
Do they still have the optical illusion poster boards at some of the stations? They were zigzag boards with one picture on the zigs and another on the zags, with the result that the picture changed as you passed by them.
I can't say that I noticed any of those illusions you mention... :|
I would love a video on the panoramic express
Hopefully I'll get back out there soon, the carriages are lovely, and I've never done the route.
Good 👍🏻
Thanks
Yes, Switzerland is pretty in the sunlight. But the fog gave it a fairytale-like look, where you can imagine the big bad wolf hiding behind a tree.
Basically, Switzerland is pretty regardless of the weather. Which is a good thing, since a Swiss friend of mine says you can have four seasons in a day in Zürich.
Yup, Switzerland is a truly unbelievable place. :)
€2.30 for a hot chocolate? This only can occur in Switzerland🤑🤑🤑💶💶💶
14:33 Oh God! Yes, of course!
140km for €77? Swiss Lifestyle is levelling up
He explained a few seconds later that you can have major savings by booking in advance or by simply owning a half fare card, which most Swiss people have.
Also many people who travel regularly in first class even own the so-called GA, a card that lets you travel almost anywhere in the whole country. This of course isn't cheap either but is worth it if you're a daily or frequent commuter.
I didn't know about the GA, only the half-fare. Interesting!
@@stoeffu But, in Renfe's Regional Trains, there are only vending machines. If you're on a commuter train, you need to grab something from the station's vending machine or have a coffee before or after your journey.
You'd pay more than that for a hot chocolate at a British main-line station.
@@JohnLeeming23
I was about to say
LETS GO YOU VISITED SWITZERLAND
Yeah I did! 😎
@@SuperalbsTravels A bit late but thanks for pronouncing the names right xD
This train is fantastic on the old Gotthard Route, starting in Lucerne
I'll have to come back and try it. Thanks for watching. :)
5:29, this is the Sitter Viaduct, the highest railway viaduct in Europe. It is 99 meters high
Sorry - it is the highest railway viaduct in Switzerland, not in Europe!
Great Video! Could you do tfw 197, OBB Swiss Stadler Flirt & ScotRail 334
Thanks, I will look into those trains. :)
Thanks ☺ @@SuperalbsTravels
1:00 I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but on the front of the glass cube there is a binary clock
Ooh! Good spot, I didn't actually notice that when I was there as I approached from the wrong angle. 😌