New data from Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has revealed the busiest stations in Switzerland. The report found that while some stations have seen passenger numbers boom in the last five years, others have become less popular due to the rise of remote working.

Which of the largest Swiss stations see the most travellers?

To create the list, Watson analysed the passenger data of the 58 largest stations in Switzerland run by SBB, recorded in both 2018 and 2023. They used this to rank the stations that see the most footfall during every working day.

Stations controlled by regional providers - Bern-Solothurn Regional Transport and the Rhaetian Railways, for example - were not included in the list. However, they are extremely unlikely to see as many passengers as stations run by the federal railways.

Zurich HB named the busiest train station in Switzerland

As of 2023, the busiest station in Switzerland is Zurich HB. Last year, an average of 419.600 people boarded or alighted a train at the main station in Zurich every working day. The feat is quite impressive given the number of stations in the city - two other Zurich stations are in the top 10 - and the fact its population is only around 400.000. 

It also puts it leaps and bounds ahead of Bern in second place, which only recorded 189.200 passengers a day. While the top two are the same as in 2018, there has been some movement in the top 10 in the last five years. After placing third in 2018, Basel SBB (105.900) has dropped to joint fourth place behind Winterthur (110.900) and alongside Lausanne (105.900). 

Remote working in Switzerland hurts passenger numbers at Zurich HB

Despite their prominence on the ranking, and the record number of travellers reported on Swiss railways last year, the number of passengers served by the top two stations has not returned to pre-COVID levels. According to Watson, Zurich HB’s numbers in 2023 were 11 percent down compared to 2018, while Bern’s have declined by 8,3 percent.

The fall has largely been blamed on COVID-19 and the move of many workers towards remote and hybrid jobs. This means that while passenger numbers are up, fewer are travelling to work and back. The five Swiss stations that have seen a drop in passengers compared to 2018 are Wallisellen (Canton Zurich, -11,1 percent), Zurich HB (-11 percent), Liestal (Basel-Land, -9,8 percent), Bern (-8,3 percent) and Burgdorf (Canton Bern, -8 percent).

By contrast, passenger numbers in Lugano (79 percent), Fribourg (45,2 percent), Arth Goldau (28,5 percent), Visp (26,5 percent) and Geneva (25,2 percent) have soared compared to 2018. These rises were attributed to the completion of the Gotthard Base and Ceneri tunnels - which cut journey times between Swiss cities and Ticino - the launch of the Léman Express S-Bahn system around Lake Geneva and a rise in the number of leisure passengers.

10 busiest Swiss stations

In all, here are the 10 busiest stations in Switzerland in 2023:

• 1. Zurich HB (419.600)
• 2. Bern (189.200)
• 3. Winterthur (110.900)
• =4. Lausanne (105.900)
• =4. Basel SBB (105.900)
• 6. Lucerne (104.400)
• 7. Zurich Oerlikon (94.200)
• 8. Geneva (88.500)
• 9. Olten (80.900)
• 10. Zurich Stadelhofen (80.400)

For more information about the ranking, check out the piece by Watson (in French).

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