Introduction

Today I’m on my way to Montreux in the French speaking part of Switzerland. The quickest way between Basel and Montreux by train is via Berne and takes two hours and 45 minutes. But where’s the fun in that, I ask you? I’ve decided to take the scenic route instead.

First Leg: Basel to Spiez by SBB

The first leg of my journey takes me on the IC61 train service from Basel to Spiez.

For a Saturday morning, the station is quite busy – probably because it’s the so-called sports holidays. On Monday Fasnacht begins, Basel’s famous and infamous carnival. Half the city loves Fasnacht and actively participates in the cortège (the processions), while the other half flees the city to avoid the noise and the drunken crowds.

To access the platform you have to take the stairs or escalators up onto a footbridge. Despite the wiring over the archway that leads up onto the footbridge, it appears to have become a favourite hang out for the copious pigeons. Which will account, perhaps, for the persistent stripe of bird shit on the ground that runs the full width of the stairs and escalators.

The journey from Basel to Spiez takes one hour and 26 minutes. The train makes a brief stop of two minutes in Olten, eight minutes in Berne, and two minutes in Thun on the lake.

The service to Spiez continues to Interlaken. It is operated by a rather old-school composition made up of three First Class carriages, a dining car and eight Second Class carriages. The last Second Class coach also serves as a steering car.

The business end of the train is an Re460 engine that weighs in at 84 tons.

The cabin of the First Class carriages is set in a configuration with three seats abreast. In this particular coach, seats are facing each other in units of four and two seats, respectively.

The seats have good recline and are fitted with standard Swiss and European electric power sockets.

The first leg of the journey from Basel to Olten takes the train through a landscape of low meandering hills of Canton Basel-Land. The weather isn’t too good today, and when we arrive in Olten, it’s misty and drizzly.

From Olten to Berne, the train runs mainly underground on the highspeed line, so there isn’t really much to see.

Things definitely get more interesting between Berne and Spiez. That is, they do on a nice day, when the visibility is good enough to see the Bernese Alps.

If you’re planning a visit to Lake Thun, you can take the train to either Thun or Spiez. The only difference is that the railway station in Thun is right on the lake, opposite the boat landing, whereas in Spiez the station is above the lake.

Eventually, the train arrives in Spiez on time. And the visibility has also started improving.

Second leg: Spiez to Zweisimmen by BLS

In Spiez, I have nine minutes to make my connection, which just gives me enough time to take a photo of the lake below.

BLS m, incidentally, stands for the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon Railway, of which the government of Canton Berne is the majority shareholder.

The service to Zweisimmen originates in Berne and is made up if three compositions coupled together. At Spiez, the train is divided, with the two forward compositions continuing to Brig in Canton Wallis, and the rear composition heading up the Simmen Valley to Zweisimmen.

The service is operated by a RABe528 articulated composition with six carriages.

There is one full First Class carriage and a further carriage that is half First Class and half Second Class. These trains are modern and quite new, having only entered into service in 2021.

The cabin is in a similar configuration as the train from Basel. However, the design of the seats is nicer and looks rather stylish.

The seats at the far ends of the First Class carriage have some extra storage space on the side. I think they’re the best seats in the house.

The journey through the Simmental is lovely and takes 49 minutes.

In Zweisimmen I have three minutes to connect to the train to Montreux.

Third leg: Zweisimmen to Montreux by MOB

The Goldenpass Belle Epoque is made up of eight carriages, with a powered car at both ends. In between, there are three First Class carriages, and three Second Class. There is no dining car on this service.

The old carriages have been beautifully restored and look very well maintained.

The seats are plush and offer a level of comfort unheard of in this day and age. They are excellently cushioned and very soft.

The attention to detail gives the train that final extra touch of nostalgia.

The journey to Montreux takes just over two hours, as the train passes through some truly poetic landscapes featuring the majestic Swiss Alps.

Conclusion

All in all, the journey from Basel to Montreux takes four hours and forty minutes, which is two hours longer than the service on the mainline via Berne. But the fact that it’s a much slower paced journey makes it very relaxing. Of course it also helps that the train is far from being full and peacefully quiet. Other than that, you’d think I’d be a bit more blazé about the Swiss railway network, but you can hardly help being impressed. The trains all departed and arrived on time, or even slightly early, and even the connection of three minutes in Zweisimmen was smooth and painless.

Tickets purchases and seat reservations for the Goldenpass Express trains can be made through the website of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) or of the MOB.