Last week, a passenger who boarded the wrong train was surprised when the train’s driver made the decision to make an unscheduled stop in the city of Aarau to help her avoid a long overnight trip. Without the train driver’s kind gesture, the passenger could have ended up more than 600 km away in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 

Passengers cheered for the train staff in the carriage 

The woman realised her mistake when train staff on board notified her that they would not be stopping at Aarau, instead only stopping at Basel before continuing the onward journey to the Dutch capital. As the woman became stressed, fellow passengers attempted to calm her down, encouraging her to grab a glass of wine, try to relax and just accept her fate. 

As the passenger settled into the idea of having a long journey home, train staff contacted the driver to ask if there was the possibility to stop on the way. Eventually, after a lot of haggling, the driver made the decision to stop so that the passenger could disembark in Aarau. Train staff were applauded by passengers in the carriage for their negotiations with the driver. 

The decision to make an unscheduled stop was extraordinary in Switzerland 

The Swiss public transport system is well-known for being punctual and precise, so it is highly surprising that the driver decided to make an unscheduled stop for the passenger on board. Thanks to the driver’s consideration, the woman was able to make her way home without having to wait for the first train out of Basel the next morning or start her surprise holiday in Amsterdam. 

When the train stopped at Aarau, several passengers applauded, despite the small delay the stop caused. When asked for a comment on the matter, an SBB spokesperson agreed that the decision to make a short stop was extraordinary, stating "such cases are extremely rare". The spokesperson was sure to stress afterwards that: "The extraordinary did not have any impact on the timetable."