Geneve to Zurich HB - Interrupted service: Bern - Fribourg/Freiburg

NickName_1

Good Afternoon,

I am planning to take the IC1 from Geneve to Zurich HB on Wednesday 23rd July 2025 at 10:35AM arriving at 13:28PM.

However, I can see that there is now an alert regarding “Interrupted service: Bern - Fribourg/Freiburg” with potential complications en route.

Unfortunately, I don’t fully follow the information provided in the warning:
“You have to expect cancellations, changed timetables and different connections. Line IC1, IR15, RE2, RE3, S1, S2 has been cancelled between Bern and Fribourg/Freiburg.”

If the IC1 line has been cancelled, why does the train still show in the planner? Is it a case of:

The train will still travel from Geneve to Zurich HB at the planned time, but will take an alternative route and not stop / pass by Bern and Fribourg?
Or, the train will not travel at all from Geneve to Zurich HB, and we will need to work out alternative routes.

I ask this because I would be a bit surprised if there is not a direct service from Geneve to Zurich on this date, given the Womens Euro 2025 semi finals are being played at Geneve and Zurich on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd respectively, and I imagine many fans will be planning the same journey.

Apologies if this is a basic question, I’m not at all familiar with the Swiss rail network!

Thank you in advance.

RolandP

Hello NickName_1

Welcome to the SBB Community.
For your understanding, we are a customer support forum run by volunteers, not the SBB Customer Service.

If the IC1 line has been cancelled, why does the train still show in the planner? Is it a case of:

The train will still travel from Geneve to Zurich HB at the planned time, but will take an alternative route and not stop / pass by Bern and Fribourg?

Or, the train will not travel at all from Geneve to Zurich HB, and we will need to work out alternative routes.

You are missing the third possible option, which is actually stated in the warning:

Passengers travelling between Bern and Fribourg/Freiburg and between Bern and Düdingen and between Bern Europaplatz and Fribourg/Freiburg please use the replacement bus service (EV).

Thus, there is a replacement bus between Bern and Fribourg and v.v. It is clear that, for a duration of eight weeks, the travel time will be longer and there are no direct services linking Zurich/Bern and Geneva.

We will post further information here as soon as they become available.

Kind regards,
Roland

Danhiel

Hello NickName_1

It will be possible to travel by train from Geneva to Zurich with a change in Renens VD (IR90 or IC1 - IC5) every 30 minutes. The travel time will be the same. You can already find the timetables if you add “via Biel/Bienne”. I would avoid replacement buses.

Kind Regards
Danhiel

Krist

This is half a year away. It is far, far, far to early to worry about the train service from Geneve to Zurich. Check again the day before you travel. If there is a modification to the schedule it will be published by then. You can rest asured that there will be a way to travel from Geneva to Zurich, and that you will be able to buy a ticket for it.

However if I may suggest: Buy a saver day pass for your travel day as soon as you are certain, as for that type of trip this is going to be the cheapest ticket.

NickName_1

Hello @RolandP, @Danhiel, and @Krist,

Thank you all very much for your comments and advice - I appreciate you taking the time to read and help me out.

For your understanding, we are a customer support forum run by volunteers, not the SBB Customer Service.

Noted - I think it’s a great idea and I wish more countries had something like this.

It will be possible to travel by train from Geneva to Zurich with a change in Renens VD (IR90 or IC1 - IC5) every 30 minutes. The travel time will be the same. You can already find the timetables if you add “via Biel/Bienne”.

This is particularly helpful. This tip has made planning things easier and helps put my mind at ease, knowing there is a ‘good’ train option we can take rather than dealing with potentially crowded bus routes.

This is half a year away. It is far, far, far to early to worry about the train service from Geneve to Zurich. Check again the day before you travel.

Unfortunately that is just the sort of person I am! I agree it’s probably still far too early to be worrying about this, but I like to plan as much as I can and then relax when I’m actually there. I will naturally keep an eye on the services nearer the time of travel too.

However if I may suggest: Buy a saver day pass for your travel day as soon as you are certain, as for that type of trip this is going to be the cheapest ticket.

Thanks for the steering on this too. I’ve since taken a look and it seems like the Swiss Travel Pass (15 days) is best placed for my overall travel, as I will be in Switzerland for ~ 12 days or so and this is just one of the many journeys.

Thanks again all.

Krist

NickName_1 but I like to plan as much as I can and then relax when I’m actually there

When you visit London do you also look up schedules for the London Underground half a year in advance :-)

Trains are mass transit. Used by people to go about their daily business. This is something like the subway in NY, the London Underground. The Paris Metro. Something the people here assume is just there, because it just is.