Travellers heading to or from Zurich Airport have been told to prepare for disruption during four weekends in January and February. The construction work will see the majority of rail public transport services to the airport cancelled or diverted.

Major maintenance work planned at Zurich Airport station

In a statement, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) confirmed that trains to and from Zurich Airport will be restricted from 11pm on Friday until the start of regular services on Monday on four weekends over the next month. The disruptions will take place on January 17 to 20, January 24 to 27, January 31 to February 3 and February 7 to February 10.

The company explained that the work is necessary to “ensure that trains continue to arrive safely and on time.” Eight rail switches will be replaced in and around Zurich Airport station, which will lead to significant restrictions and cancellations.

Rail disruption at Zurich Airport: What travellers need to know

SBB confirmed that timetable changes and cancellations will affect InterCity (IC), InterRegional (IR), RegionalExpress (RE) and S-Bahn services between Zurich and Winterthur on all four weekends. Here’s what travellers should expect:

Majority of long-distance trains will not stop at the airport

During the works, EuroCity trains to and from Munich, IC1, IC5, IC8, IC81, RE8, IR75, RE75 and IR13 trains between Zurich HB, Oerlikon and Winterthur will not stop and Zurich Airport and will instead be diverted onto an alternative route. Luckily, the diversion will not lead to longer travel times between destinations other than the airport. During the works, IR36s will make their final stop at Zurich Oerlikon instead of the airport.

Regional Zurich S-Bahns restricted

In regional transport, the S11 will be cancelled between Zurich HB and Winterthur, the S3 will only go as far as Zurich HB instead of Zurich Hardbrücke, the S16 will make its final stop at Oerlikon instead of the airport and the S24 will be cancelled between Zurich Oerlikon and Effretikon.

How do I get to Zurich Airport during the disruption?

Those who need to get to or from Zurich Airport during the works should take the S2, which will stop at the airport and make a special stop in Bassersdorf to cater to more passengers. Various “special trains” will also run between Zurich HB, Zurich Airport and Winterthur, meaning a train will serve the airport every 30 minutes. However, journey times between the cities and the airport will be between 10 and 20 minutes longer than usual.

Travellers from other cities across Switzerland should head to Zurich HB or Winterthur before switching to one of these services. During the weekends, the frequency of trams on Route 12 (Stettbach-Wallisellen-Glattpark-Zurich Airport) and 10 (Zurich HB-Rigiblick-Oerlikon-Glattpark-Zurich Airport) will also be increased.

How do I get to towns around Zurich Airport?

In terms of travel to other towns affected by the works, those looking to head to Bassersdorf or Effretikon should use the S7 - which will also make a special stop at Kemptthal - while passengers looking to go between the airport and Effretikon should use the S7 to reach Bassersdorf before changing to the S2 or a special train.

SBB warns of further disruption throughout 2025

Passengers looking to get to the airport should check their connections via the SBB app or through announcements on the train and at stations. What’s more, the company warned that this will not be the only disruption heading the airport’s way in 2025, with significant maintenance work also planned in March and between May and July and August and October.

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