Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) suspended services through Zürich’s main station (Zürich HB) for two hours on the afternoon of 25 September 2026 after a “persons on track” incident on the approaches at 16:10. Long-distance InterCity trains between Geneva, Basel, Bern and St Gallen were held outside the node, while several EuroCity services to Germany and Italy were diverted or cancelled. SBB activated its contingency plan, rerouting some traffic via the Altstetten–Oerlikon bypass and authorising ticket acceptance on Zürich’s suburban tram and bus network. Full operations resumed at 18:20, but residual delays of up to 60 minutes were still reported at 19:00. No passengers were injured; cantonal police are investigating. The disruption highlights the fragility of Switzerland’s tightly-timed ‘Taktfahrplan’, where a single blockage at the country’s busiest hub ripples across the network. Logistics operators said missed freight paths forced them to keep consignments at Limmattal marshalling yard until the night hours, raising overtime costs. Corporate mobility managers with employees transiting Zürich were advised to re-issue e-tickets with the “train-free” option valid during major incidents; SBB confirmed that seat-reservations can be used on any equivalent service within 24 hours when a disruption is officially declared. SBB’s 2027 infrastructure plan includes platform-edge doors and additional CCTV aimed at reducing unauthorised track access – measures that would also benefit international travellers using the station to connect with airport trains and cross-border services.
Source: SWI swissinfo.ch
