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Südostbahn (SOB)

SOB runs the Voralpen-Express, Treno Gottardo and Aare Linth plus eastern Swiss S-Bahn lines from its St. Gallen base. CHF fares, Swiss national ticketing.

Country
Switzerland
Official website
Official website
Train tickets
1

Südostbahn, usually shortened to SOB, is a regional Swiss railway based in St. Gallen. It owns 123 kilometres of track between Lake Zürich, Biberbrugg and Arth-Goldau, a hilly stretch dense with bridges and tunnels, and it also runs named long-distance services onto other companies' tracks across the country.

Voralpen-Express: St. Gallen to Luzern

The Voralpen-Express runs hourly between St. Gallen and Luzern. It is the slower, scenic alternative to changing trains via Zürich, and that is exactly the point: the route curves past Rapperswil and the Sitter viaduct, at 99 metres the highest railway viaduct in Switzerland, before climbing into the Toggenburg hills. Book this train when the view matters more than shaving off travel time.

Treno Gottardo over the Gotthard panorama route

The Treno Gottardo (services IR26 and IR46) is SOB's cooperation with SBB, running hourly and alternating its starting point between Zürich, Luzern and Basel. Every departure crosses the Gotthard panorama route without a change, ending in Locarno on the Italian-speaking side of the Alps. For a north-to-south trip, this is the one SOB route where a single ticket covers the whole classic Gotthard crossing.

Aare Linth: Bern to Chur

The Aare Linth Interregio connects Bern, Zürich and Chur on an hourly service. It is the practical east-west option for travellers who want to link the capital region with Graubünden without routing through multiple changes.

Regional S-Bahn network

Away from the named trains, SOB also operates a wider S-Bahn network across the cantons of St. Gallen, Appenzell, Schwyz and Glarus, running lines S4, S6, S13, S17, S27, S31 and S40. These serve towns like Rapperswil, Einsiedeln and the Toggenburg region rather than the headline long-distance corridors, and they are the trains to check for shorter regional hops within eastern and central Switzerland.

Tickets and fares

SOB sells through the same national channels as every other Swiss operator: tickets and passes are priced in Swiss francs and bought via the shared timetable and ticketing system rather than a separate SOB-only shop. Because SOB's own site is published in German and Italian only, English-speaking travellers researching a specific SOB service are usually better off checking departure times through the national timetable, then confirming any named-train specifics, such as the Treno Gottardo's Zürich, Luzern or Basel start point on a given hour, before booking.

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Frequently asked questions

What does the Voralpen-Express connect?

The Voralpen-Express runs hourly between St. Gallen and Luzern, passing Rapperswil and the Sitter viaduct, Switzerland's highest railway viaduct.

Can I travel over the Gotthard on a single SOB train?

Yes. The Treno Gottardo runs hourly on the Gotthard panorama route without a change, alternating its origin between Zürich, Luzern and Basel, and ending in Locarno.

Does SOB run trains between Bern and Chur?

Yes, the Aare Linth Interregio links Bern, Zürich and Chur on an hourly schedule.

Where do I buy an SOB ticket?

SOB does not run a separate ticket shop for its named trains. Buy through the shared Swiss national timetable and ticketing system, priced in Swiss francs, the same channel used for every other Swiss operator.

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