BLS's outstanding regional train over the Lötschberg line

Allo!
Welcome to this new trip report! This one was not planned since I was supposed to go on a hike but then the video turned out pretty good and I decided to review BLS's marvelous new regional trains, to be fair I did not expect such a good product!
Enjoy :-)
- TRIP INFORMATION -
RECORDED IN JUNE 2023
Railway company: BLS AG
Train type: Stadler MIKA RABe 528
From: Thun to Kandersteg
Time: 38 min
Price: 11,40 CHF (around 12€)
Thumbnail credit : Robert Gerber on Flickr : flic.kr/ps/2w1Fw5
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00:00 : Intro
01:09 : Thun, small city, big station
01:40 : BLS ?
02:55 : Here's MIKA
03:22 : Boarding
03:51 : Seat check
04:34 : Walkthrough
05:28 : Toilets Time
06:05 : Spiez
06:37 : Kander valley
06:44 : Mid roll ads
07:14 : Lötschberg Base Tunnel
07:31 : Swiss at its best
07:57 : Der Alpinist
09:11 : Oeschinen Lake
09:42 : Departure
10:04 : Outro

[@user-yl8bq2iz5i]

I'm living on this other side of the Lotschberg tunnel, in the Valais. By regularly using the CFF line between Visp and Bern (using the Lotschberg basis tunnel), I confirm this is one of the best areas in Switzerland to travel by train with beautiful landscape. I strongly recommend also to stop in the city of Thun and Spiez from where you can hike around the Thun lake. 🇨🇭

[@bradfordtownley9363]

The entire countryside looks like a manicured garden

[@harang9759]

That’s because it’s Switzerland

[@scottyerkes1867]

Beautiful scenery!! Beautiful train!! Thanks Thibault💚👌

[@teresab126]

I could look at this scenery all day! ❤❤Was hoping for more!

[@excavataur45]

Another cool video ! BLS has such a nice and modern livery and the rolling stock is quite new too. The previous "Lötschberger" trains were really nice with the specific and wonderful Lötschberg livery but the MIKA are clearly en excellent product. Comfy, modern, silent and making the trip enjoyable with these really big panoramic windows. It's always a pleasure to see how old and slow lines are busy even if an alternative with a faster route is available. I hope you will make a video about the south ramp of the line from Goppenstein and Brig. It's as much scenic as the first part of the line and even more impressive. At this time, the new MIKA are not homologated to travel to Italy that's why you have to change for a Lötschberger in Brig if you want to go to Domodossola.

[@markusstudeli2997]

Last time I was in Domodossola I saw a Mika on a test run, I suppose. No passengers but plenty of technicians and railway personnel around. I hope the Mika will be able to go all the way to Domodossola with passengers, soon, too!

[@josephr9551]

Gorgeous train and gorgeous views!

[@Skrap2400]

Merci d’être venus chez nous, vous avez fait un bon choix avec cette ligne. On est aussi fiers de nos trains.

[@Zomerset]

Oh, Switzerland, what a beautiful country you are. Such an amazing train service as well. So envious.

[@Backwardlooking]

Yes, on another planet as regards interiors, refreshments, and timetabling. It would be interesting to know to what extent they are subsidised. Still expensive but Switzerland is expensive even for some Swiss on lower incomes. 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@TaronTT]

afaIk BLS is owned by SBB, so it is indirectly a state company.

[@felixtheswiss]

​@@TaronTTNo BLS is ownwd by the cantons and towns mostly.

[@abelsuisse9671]

@@TaronTTBLS has zero connection with SBB, in fact they're fierce competitors and SBB got quite pissed off when BLS stepped in its turf with services to La Chaux de Fonds.

[@abelsuisse9671]

Trains are quite cheap for swiss residents. The 185 francs/year demi-tarif/halbtax card alone shaves 50% off the price of all rail travel. Young people have it even better, for 99 francs/year they can get an AG which allows travel in every means of transport in the country (including urban transport like trams) from 7pm to 5am. Me and my partner have an AG that offers unlimited travel on all public transport the country, not sure how much it is but I reckon it's around 6K total for both for the whole year: expensive, but for example the season ticket that he had from Canterbury West to St Pancras was 700 francs... Per month! 8400 for one person per year and they don't even have the decency to include anything other than the train from A to B.

[@eliteiel9747]

@@abelsuisse9671 I found that such a steal, couldn't believe my ears when I first heard that, for 99 francs a year i can take any train I want in the evening to the morning... It's amazing especially for people like me who are often in the city at night, go to a nearby gym or just work late at or travel further into the mountains, total steal. I'm super impressed with that offering. I guess it's marketing too tho. If you get that it's another reason to not get a car, which in term makes more money for the SBB (im not complaining id gladly take the train for the rest of my life)

[@larshelmin]

It is a wonderful train ride going over Lötschberg. The new BLS trains looks good too. But the video is only half as good as it could have been. 😉, the descent from Goppenstein to Brig is fantastic too!

[@crompton33022]

Great journey. Thanks for sharing it with us regards Ian, UK 🇬🇧.

[@danielconrad399]

Excellent video Thibault. Your classic format! Please continue to make those.

[@pakrailofficial1062]

That's so awesome

[@lindawheeler3242]

What a beautiful country! ❤

[@eli55785]

Nice Video👍

[@markusstudeli2997]

The BLS hast mostly become a rail cargo operator and the main provider of regional / regional express train lines around Bern; the Intercity passenger traffic from Basel to Milano via the Lötschberg line has been handed over to the SBB. Its Mika trains are used on their less frequented rural lines to Neuchâtel - La Chaux-de-Fonds, to the Bernese Oberland - Brig, to Zweisimmen and to Lucerne via the Emmenthal - Entlebuch. On the more frequented routes like Bern-Biel or Bern-Thun they use the "Mutz", which is their name for the Stadler Kiss double-decker trains. The Mikas are indeed a good match for the rural, mountainous and often very scenic routes. With their large windows, multi-purpose areas for bikes, prams, skis or baggage they are well suited for tourists, bikers, families on weekend excursions, hikers and the like.

[@LisbonRailProductionsandF1]

Absolutely spot on, I like it 5 stars, keep up the great work, my friend, Greetings from Portugal.

[@aviano72]

Short but nice video about this awesome train set Stadler Rail is just the best :)

[@fredericrmerchant1355]

I took that very route in 1975 to visit my best friend’s family in Frutigen. I still remember it, so wonderful.

[@RoniRosenthal1306]

My best highlight of this video is the surrounding area and the viaduct😊

[@owenchuarbx]

Looks very familiar, reminds me of the sister Class 745/755 train in the UK

[@conceyullena]

Like 67 beautiful video, greetings 🚂👍🙋‍♂️

[@marklee1194]

Absolutely stunning.

[@rezaalan3991]

Great trip. Finally BLS Trip Report.

[@Happymali10]

You need to take a trip on the Albula-Line in Switzerland, ideally the glacier express. Or, for oddball points, one of their open air train cars.

[@blaythierry8722]

VERY NICE VIDEO TRAIN CFF 🥰🥰❤❤👋👋👍👍👌👌👌THANK YOU VIDEO BYE

[@leelee-21]

I mean Switzerland is so beautiful ! Feel clean quiet and peaceful ❤!

[@smn_link]

This is the real FLIRT 4 by Stadler, not 2 but 4 motor bogies and an astonishing 1.3m/s^2 acceleration 🫨. BLS is always special 💚

[@peterdnreynolds777]

Beautiful scenery

[@elainefarr3155]

beautiful!

[@TherconJair]

As an addition, the Lötschberg-Basetunnel isn't even finished yet, it was supposed to be a twin tunnel, but so far, 1/3rd of the second tube is done, another third has been bored, and the last third is nonexistant.

[@haufe012]

Exactly this landscape is the reason why i am jealous at a friend wo is at siders at the rhone-valley this week. Would be nice ride, too: Brig-Sion. You will love it for 100%^^

[@TheMaartian]

Beautiful scenery AND train set. Was the 220v outlet the oddly shaped Swiss type or the round Euro type?

[@CreatorPolar]

Swiss trains usually have both plug types

[@EpicThe112]

If you want to cross into Italy using the railway line itself then use Bern Lötschberg Bahn Rabe 535 Nina to Domodossola.

[@pianistegolfeur]

Très joli parcours !

[@patricbigler4703]

As Fleet Manager of MIKA, I would like to thank you for the positive Feedback 😊 I am glad you are happy with the train 😀

[@markusstudeli2997]

Maybe you can answer as of when it will run all the way to Domodossola? The Nina is not bad, but I'd love to take the Mika there, soon!

[@eottoe2001]

@Simply Railway - not long enough. We were getting to the Zen moment and then it was over too soon. Thanks for posting although I needed 10 minutes more of the mountains.

[@alivinghuman1]

Stadler make great trains

[@AndrewG1989]

Thun is quite a nice city in Switzerland. Very beautiful city. Very nice 🤩

[@roundandroundmyworld]

I rode the original Lötschberg line up that long grade, through the original tunnel, and down the long incline on the south side to Brig in 1979. Travelling over the same route, but through the Lötschberg Basis Tunnel in 2017 was a total anti-climax by comparison. This is one place where, for scenic value, the original slower route is a hands-down winner. Thanks for making this video and triggering the memories.

[@markusstudeli2997]

For the scenery and less train talk it's best to look for cab rides. For the Lötschberg route, all the way from Basel to Brig, check out this one, for example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5ibfYJsbM9niLs

[@bernardrenard6760]

Switzerland is a good land to visit by train, their railways network is very famous....

[@jonolini176yt3]

Pls do the Flåm railway if u ever visit norway again 😊

[@wouterpaap9343]

What a beautiful tracé this is! It is a nice hike to Oeschinensee. I hope you don't mind saying the following: I would liked to have seen footage of your hike and its environment. As I would like to see more of destinations: beautiful city's, picturesque villages and nature. I for one can do without the toilet time. Less information about the train's manufacturer and more information about what there is to see. I don't know what the majority of your followers think about this. Shouldn't loose them for just one opinion!

[@markusstudeli2997]

True remark that the Mika is almost as good as the Giruno; probably reason why the Flirt sells like hot cakes, even for long distance routes like in Norway or Poland, unlike the Smile.

[@dineshnaraindas9340]

Nice job bro are you working in railways ?

[@ringo7561]

I recently took the tunnel route from Milan to Olten Switzerland....do trains still use the old route through Simplon Pass? I could see it from above, unless I was looking at this route and we were past Simplon Pass....great video as always

[@roundandroundmyworld]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think there was ever a railway line OVER the Simplon Pass. There was no through passage by train from Brig to Italy until the Simplon tunnel was built, opening in 1906. Same with the Lötschberg route between Brig and Bern, you can choose from the older, higher, original Lötschberg Tunnel of 1913 (the route which Thibault used as far as the tunnel's north end in this video) or the newer and longer (but faster) Lötschberg Basis Tunnel -- but there is no railway up and over the top of the pass.

[@barvdw]

@@roundandroundmyworld correct, i've removed my previous post where I confused the Lötschberg and Simplon passes. Just one precision, the old Lötschberg tunnel is shorter than the base tunnel, yes, but the overall line is not, the line through the base tunnel is a lot flatter and shorter, which is why it was built in the first place. Because the old line pierces through the mountain at a much higher altitude, that would be the best place to get to the historic pass.

[@abdulsattar45463]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Fan652w]

An excellent video. I agree with you regarding the quality of the MIKA trains. But I have one complaint about this video. You need to stress that almost everybody on a Swiss train will not be paying the full single fare, in this case 11.40 franks. If resident in Switzerland they will have an all Swiss public transport season ticket called a General Abonnement, or a 50% discount ticket called a Halb Taxe Abonnement. If tourists, they will probably have a Swiss Travel Pass (same validity as the GA) or a multinational Interrail.

[@Nadia1989]

I used neither Swiss Travel Pass nor Interrail, but a supersaver ticket buying three months in advance for the particular routes I wanted.

[@Fan652w]

@@Nadia1989 Thanks Nadia. Supersavers are yet another reason why passengers on Swiss trains rarely pay the 'full' fare!

[@SteveSleeperTrains]

You forgot to add the end screen

[@eliteiel9747]

I'm surprised SBB doesn't just buy all its trains from Stadler at this point, I mean there's barely anything to complain about, and theyre reliable and delivered on time, unlike uhm uhm Bombardier

[@jfmezei]

BTW, interior arrangements are mostly the train operator's decision so the interior is more Kudos to BLS than to Stadler (though windows, toilets, doors are less configurable by those buying equipment).

[@Emierbeach]

Watching this on a MIKA train lol

[@VerWRLD]

These trains are nicer than the new Amtrak Acelas lmao. We need major help in the US.

[@SimplyRailway]

True lol

[@markusstudeli2997]

You've got a Stadler factory in Salt Lake City, and the Flirt is up for sale in the US, too! Your operators will just have to purchase them...

[@mujakapasa]

The only thing that isn't that good in this train is the coffe you get in the bistro, haha 😄

[@markusstudeli2997]

It's not bad consider it's an automat distributing it. But it would indeed be nice to have a real Italian Barista serving it, we've got to keep dreaming!

[@TeimonKauppa739]

2:41 here's something to point out: You spelled Domodossola wrong

[@eottoe2001]

Are the tracks 1,435 mm?

[@barvdw]

Yes.

[@Deltaexe190]

personally i don’t like the bold text at the beggininh

[@peterboulton137]

Didnt like the LOUD talking and the woman with her feet cross legged on the seat.

[@cypog8479]

This guy is filming people without permission, not even censoring them, and you care about loud talking and how people behave in the train? Absolutely bizzare.

[@peterboulton137]

Not Bizarre at all------Many agree with me------You are strange!@@cypog8479

[@iamthestig1]

Very nice country, but very corrupt. Its nice to see that someone's putting money in to something other than a dodgy bank...