For 2 Weeks, Switzerland Has A Rail Replacement Helicopter

We've all heard of the dreaded "Rail Replacement Bus". But what if we had Rail Replacement Helicopters instead? Well, in one small village in central Switzerland, they already do. I went to Linthal to experience it myself...
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MORE INFO
Video by @TomScottGo about the car-free resort of Zermatt: • This town banned cars ...
Braunwaldbahn official page: braunwald.ch/de/planen-buchen...
Heli-Linth, operators of the Rail Replacement Helicopter: www.heli-linth.ch/index.html

[@TheTimTraveller]

UPDATE: this story was all over Swiss media on Monday, and I'm seeing a few comments saying that the rail replacement helicopter has become very busy with tourists as a result. (This video itself may now be adding a few extra people, although my Swiss viewership is about 1.5%, so hopefully not too many). Basically, if you are planning to go to Linthal to try and get on the helicopter, please be realistic. As I said in the video, tourists are LOW PRIORITY. If you do not live or work in Braunwald, you may face a very long wait, and if it gets really busy, you may not be allowed on the helicopter at all. Having said that: it's an absolutely gorgeous place, with fantastic hiking trails, and it's 100% worth visiting even without the helicopter. I'd encourage anyone to go there once the Braunwaldbahn is up and running again. Thank you for your attention :)

[@Linus_awoo]

I live in Switzerland and i decided to go (when i saw the video yesterday) to go when the railway is open again

[@theswiss7f500]

It’s so funny for you to be in my region of Switzerland, is there a chance that you will make a video about the fortifications of Näfels and Mollis ? And is there a chance you will make a vid about the Sernftal Bahn ?

[@bewilderbeestie]

It absolutely is worth visiting. It's an easy (but long and quite steep) walk up. Also, visit Klöntalarsee as well, which is a ridiculously pretty alpine lake in the next valley along. (You can also walk _round_ the alps from one to the other, although I'd suggest not doing that in November.)

[@blablette7614]

I'm part of that 1.5%!!! Unfortunately I won't be able to take that replacement helicopter but thanks god there are your videos!!!!

[@thihal123]

People shouldn’t ruin it for locals.

[@rosiefay7283]

Thank you for being the Tom Replacement Tim.

[@TheLonelyGod42]

Best comment for sure

[@osasunaitor]

Hahaha genius comment

[@zoomosis]

Gold.

[@ThatSilentGuy]

When I saw this video title on YT-Homepage I literally thought it was a Tom Scott video before checking the uploader.

[@rogercarl3969]

I would like to see Tim and Tom collaborations please. Big fan of both you guys.

[@Tony-xn7sd]

Me too, we should get a petition going, Tim and Tom, would defo watch that :)

[@petterpaus7413]

And it should be called "Tim Tom Top Tips"

[@coolguyjack11]

My mind instantly pictured Tim and Tom flying through space on a white sofa, with a piano rendition of the Tiny Planets theme playing haha

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Add Geoff Marshall and Jay Foreman.

[@ptousig]

A "Toim" video?

[@CCoburn3]

Had they realized who you were, they would have told you to climb. After all, you are a world-famous mountain climber who has led the assault on several of the highest peaks in countries around Europe. You're lucky they let you fly.

[@kurgisempyrion6125]

Has he recovered from the epic Belgium and Dutch mountains though? 😄 Great comment.

[@CCoburn3]

@@kurgisempyrion6125 Those were strenuous endeavors. Normal people would hardly attempt even one of those peaks in a lifetime. But Tim laughs in the face of danger and thrives on the sort of things that give pause to lesser men. I’m sure a great mountaineer like Tim could have taken this Swiss mountain in stride.

[@johnladuke6475]

I assume they let him fly because it wasn't actually a highest peak within a region. He does have standards to maintain.

[@SanderEvers]

We need a Tim & Tom crossover someday.

[@FlushGorgon]

No we don't.

[@deanewalpole9577]

@@FlushGorgon why not??

[@MaybachET22]

Wasn't there a Map Men episode with both Tim and Tom appearing?

[@PeterFabian]

​@@MaybachET22and Geoff!

[@PeterFabian]

​@@MaybachET22but it might have been Hidden London as opposed to Map Men

[@RaymondCalloway]

The "Airwolf" theme was perfect for the helicopter flight portion!

[@R2k2]

Turn on the (English) subtitles at that moment! 😊

[@Croz89]

And a sneaky little rendition of "Budgie the Little Helicopter" at the end. Rocketing Rotors!

[@garethaethwy]

@@R2k2 AMAZING! Thing is though now see, I don't know which situation I'd rather, either Tim did the captions hence AMAZING caption, or whether the KZbin gods really are gods!

[@scaryfish91]

@@garethaethwy Tim puts proper closed captions on all his videos, the automatic captions on KZbin are pretty terrible

[@RolfMikkelson]

@@R2k2 Definitely “Epic”. Thanks for the suggestion…

[@TheAF93]

I prefer the German word "Schienenersatzverkehr" much more for rail replacement bus

[@DentorumM4687]

Came here for this comment.

[@mikepurdy1738]

I said that word and sounded like I was sneezing under water

[@petermangold7524]

Aa a Swiss, this word sounds so overly German. It has the same vibe as „ÖPNV - Öffentlicher Personen-Nahverkehr“. We keep it simple here. It‘s „Bahnersatzbus“ and „Öffentlicher Verkehr“, even if the latter has some potential of ambiguity and innuendo to it.

[@christ2381]

As it includes not only buses but helicopters.

[@alberneinstein7075]

Der nächste Heli "fällt" aus. Wir bitten um Entschuldigung.

[@feynthefallen]

People are always surprised how much helicopters are a fact of daily life in Switzerland. What people don't realize is that Switzerland isn't just mountainous where it is obvious, like in central Switzerland . Even in areas like e.g. Appenzell and St. Gallen which look, at the first glance, pretty flat, there are a myriad of steep ravines and narrow gorges that require logging, road maintenance and whatnot, and that can't be done without helicopters. Because of that, helicopters are relatively cheap to hire. That's why you see them do lots of unexpected jobs, like flying in the big Christmas tree in the monastery courtyard in St. Gallen each year. In the case of Braunwald, there literally is no alternative, because there is no road. The government is legally required to provide public transport access, so helicopters it is.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

Helicopters are never cheap to hire, but they do become cheaper when they have a lot to do. Thing about most helicopters is they sit around with nothing to do for sometimes months before someone needs them for some job. Like with Skycranes - awesome massive piece of machinery, but it's not that often you need to airlift a house or something similarly big and heavy, so they typically spend more time on the ground than in the air and that makes them very expensive to hire

[@NickCBax]

Ahh. A country that is legally required to provide public transport. Must be nice.

[@nunyabidness3075]

@@thesteelrodent1796Yes, there’s never been tech to build a low cost of operation helicopter, but if we could get these new multi rotor contraptions going and improve the batteries and force the regulators to allow them, they might be the next best thing. Oddly, the market has never been friendly to STOL planes. The cost of them is currently boosted greatly by FAA regulations and US tort laws which have basically ruined light aircraft production for 50 years.

[@Geotpf]

@@nunyabidness3075 I thought they fixed those laws. Cessna basically stopped building planes in the 1980s due to this but I thought the law was changed so they started up again.

[@nunyabidness3075]

@@Geotpf And then it turned it it really didn’t work. Clever lawyers and clever insurance people. Combined they are basically just taxing the rest of us.

[@hoihai9976]

You know it’s a good evening when Tim Traveller uploads

[@GamerSpencer]

always makes my day!

[@robertkirchner7981]

His theme music makes me weepy.

[@pentestical8265]

Tim Scott and the Tom traveller

[@MrRisenKill]

That's a nice shout out to you Viewer Tom at the end. I am sure he appreciates it.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

It's nice of Tim to point out that his fan who submitted the idea has a KZbin channel. I'm going to go check it out.

[@Eingeloggtful]

I've just seen a report about it on television: The mountain railways seem a bit annoyed because there are already about twice as many people as expected, which massively increases the costs for the replacement transport that the railway has to bear.

[@MatthijsvanDuin]

youtubers making videos about it probably ain't helping

[@rockstardonut777]

@@MatthijsvanDuinyes I am surprised he posted the video so early. After all helicopter rides aren’t good for the planet, animals, noise pollution… hopefully though the tourists are staying in the village and helping the local economy. They probably never would have known about the town otherwise.

[@YouTenaza]

That place is already a tourist attraction. But I can guess that managing so many people including kids that want to hop in can be a nightmare.

[@Eingeloggtful]

@@YouTenaza Of course. But I assume they were expecting about the same number of guests as at the same time of year last year, but now twice as many people are coming just because of the helicopter (many have also admitted this), and that of course multiplies the expensive operating hours of the helicopter provider.

[@mysterioanonymous3206]

Here in central Switzerland they charge you CHF 40 per minute. Makes 2400 an hour...

[@j--xe3ke]

Definitely a Tom Scott level topic for a video

[@gingermany6223]

The music selections for your videos just don't get enough praise. Well done. "Why can't we hover like regular helicopter people?" - Dominic Santini

[@silentguy123]

Yeah, I love the "EPIC HELICOPTER MUSIC" 😂

[@StuartPoore]

Airwolf !

[@Fifsson_]

Or Kraftwerks "tour the france" in the miniature-france video. The choices are brilliant.

[@samkass9039]

Did anyone else worry the helicopter was going to be hit by a missile just as the last note played?

[@ptrknvk]

And if I'm not wrong, he plays all the music himself.

[@tombuitelaar]

Love to see that Tom is the one giving the tip!

[@Welgeldiguniekalias]

Railfans: Trains are the most eco-friendly transport Switzerland:

[@rockstardonut777]

Unfortunately it is a reality that helicopters are required in the Alps. I’d say the public transportation network and its ridership compensate for it.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

It is.this is only temporary.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

mountains and trains are rather difficult to combine. Mountains love being near vertical, trains hate verticality

[@Welgeldiguniekalias]

@@thesteelrodent1796Did you watch the video? The helicopter service is replacing a railway during maintenance.

[@PeterFabian]

Bahnersatzhelikopter and Tomersatztim in one fell swoop!

[@namenamename390]

I've read about this yesterday and thought "wouldn't it be fun to go there just for the sake of taking that helicopter? Nah, I can't afford that". Sometimes I envy travel youtubers like yourself for being able to do very silly things and getting paid for it.

[@BazilRat]

Same. But I am also grateful that he does, so that I can see it.

[@worldtraveler930]

I think he said the price of the ticket is the same as it would have been for the rail to begin with so you're only talking €7!!! 🤠👍

[@BazilRat]

@@worldtraveler930 And getting there, and hotels...

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

@@BazilRatyeah, that’s the challenge, the other travel to make the connection.

[@namenamename390]

@@BazilRat yeah I was gonna say. I just checked, I'd pay 120€ for a ticket from here to Switzerland, one way. And since it takes at least 8 hours to get there, I'll definitely need a hotel as well. So yeah, not in my budget just for the sake of riding a niche rail replacement service.

[@millennialchicken]

Tim & Tom The Tag Team Tubers!

[@AidanEyewitness]

I"m tempted to say 'Only in Switzerland!'

[@arthuralford]

A terrific video that happens because one KZbinr thought more about making sure a great story got out over their own view count. And he couldn't have picked a better person to cover it. Airwolf theme? Perfection

[@praesentius]

Whoa there... you can't just run around exposing how old we are to the whole world! That show came out almost 40 years ago!

[@krisselissan6539]

As a Swiss person I gotta say this is one of the most Swiss things I’ve seen in a while

[@thomaslgrice]

I'm not Swiss, but I came here to say this. Oh, and major props for the use of "gotta", very colloquial.

[@quadlazer]

But do they play the Airwolf theme song during the helicopter ride? Only thing that could make this cooler.

[@kennethfharkin]

That is pretty cool but even better is in the fall when they are getting the cows back from the mountain passes and they regularly need to airlift a cow which found its way to a remote region. Operation Cow Lift.

[@jamierobinson2814]

Lets all thank sophie form Jetlag episode 1 for emailing this great advice to tom scott. 😃

[@wilfstor3078]

I didn't recognize it at first, but the Airwolf theme quickly brought on a chuckle.

[@Ron-rs2zl]

Awesome Tim, a helicopter flight and a call from Tom Scott. You made the big time now.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

A call from a powerful figure assigning an urgent mission that leads to a helicopter flight, that's halfway to an action movie.

[@AndrewTBP]

The _Mission Impossible_ music should have got an outing. 😉

[@WhiskyCardinalWes]

Very nice use of the 'Airwolf' theme!

[@apveening]

Came here for that comment.

[@reisekatze3155]

@@apveening me, too

[@5thElem3nt]

0:23 In Germany it usually is called "Schienenersatzverkehr". Well, it's still only one word.

[@petermangold7524]

That‘s indeed a very German word. In Switzerland, we use „Bahnersatzbus“ exclusively. But then, we also simply call public transit „Öffentlicher Verkehr“ and don’t bother to use detailed over-technical terms like „ÖPNV - Öffentlicher Personen-Nahverkehr“ or so. In fact, it‘s not uncommon for us Swiss to impersonate Germans - when no German is around - and use such „very German“ words to make fun of them..

[@arnoldhau1]

In Austria as well. But to be honest, "Bahnersatzbus" makes more sense.

[@5thElem3nt]

​@@petermangold7524 To me "Öffentlicher Verkehr" feels like it is bureaucratic language for "public sex". :-)

[@R2k2]

😂 The subtitles when the Airwolf theme kicks in are hilarious!! Thanks Tim, great video as always! 👍

[@Albatross-365]

My parents had to take one when there were floods a few years. Quite the experience for them. Flew too close to the mountains for their liking. The power was out too but the hotel they were staying in cooked their meals on a gas barbecue instead. Airwolf theme tune. Hurrah

[@TrueTempleDog]

For the Airwolf theme piano arrangement, Tim wins the internet for the day. No arguments.

[@toddgunther8272]

Tom knowing the exactly correct KZbinr to pass this opportunity on to is .

[@numjro]

as an automotive and mechanical engineering nerd, I would like to say "THOSE TINY CARS ARE AWESOME!!!"

[@Kletterhaus]

Been there today, and it is getting crowded, do not really recommend on going, you just take away places of people who actually need to get up there. Edit: Some people didn't make it down yesterday, as there where too many tourists, they had to hike down.

[@o0superflu0o]

This should be higher up... it's a lovely idea, and apparently the only feasible one, but of course it will draw tourists and just curious people who always wanted to go on a helicopter. I get that. While I hope they're prioritising the people who actually need to go up and down at all times, those coming for the cheap helicopter ride should also think of themselves before trying to get on one of those flights. Depending on the circumstances, going down a mountain path in summer and sunlight with the right gear can be challenging enough, but ill-prepared and after dark (with the sun setting so early) in November sounds like a recipe for desaster.

[@edopronk1303]

Bump up. This is important.

[@edopronk1303]

The government should do a tourist route besides it. A bit higher price and a bit longer flight.

[@MedicWarrior27]

​@@edopronk1303what the actual hell for? This is for a 10 day period and just an essential replacement Shame you actually have to point it out Besides, the fare comes nowhere close to matching the cost, so that has to be covered by someone. Also talk about UNNECESSARY Pollution

[@Scruffi]

"Epic helicopter music" indeed. Bonus points for that.

[@thryduulf]

I've been on a rail replacement boat service, and a bridge replacement boat service, but this tops those trips by miles. Rather peeved I can't get there myself.

[@atraindriver]

All of which definitely outdo my international bus-replacement-train trip across the Czech-Slovak border a few years ago!

[@0LoneTech]

I've been on a regular bus crawling at snail's pace through a tunnel because there was a replacement bridge in front of us.

[@tocsa120ls]

Ah the Airwolf theme :D :D :D btw the chopper is an Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (proving that making suspected German spies pronounce "squirrel" works in French too)

[@AttilaAsztalos]

Did the spies say it like "skvirrel"...?

[@bewilderbeestie]

I live in Zurich! I never knew this was a thing --- I suspect they're not publicising it much... Braunwald is, by the way, fabulous, and even without the helicopter it's worth a visit. Also, it's not halfway up an alp. It's more like a third of the way up an alp. The big pointy mountain at 4:00 is Ortstock, and is just shy of three kilometres high.

[@Kenionatus]

The great Swiss tradition of "äcktschualli". 😉

[@dominikgarbauer6883]

Also known as pedantry corner 😂

[@bewilderbeestie]

@@dominikgarbauer6883I tell people that I'm not a card-carrying member of the pedant's society. It's actually made of plastic.

[@lauraketteridge324]

I'm having a problem working out the elevation of Braunwald. How many of the Urk mountain would need to stacked on top of each other to reach Braunwald?

[@bewilderbeestie]

@@lauraketteridge324From the bottom of the Linthal valley? About 86.

[@lukasschwab2412]

I grew up in Braunwald. Around 25 years ago we had the same situation, but for a duration of three month. So, a part of may way to school consisted of a helicopter flight. Once in the morning, once in the evening. And thank you for showing the house I grew up in :)

[@zork999]

In 1984 (near the end of the Winter Olympics, so around February 15th) an avalanche took out the train station and road in Zermatt. We had to take a Rail Replacement Helicopter down the valley four miles to Täsch where we could board our bus that took us to Geneve for our flight home. It was a short flight, but the views were great.

[@jordikuijt1004]

Lets thank Sophie (the one from Season 2 Episode 1 of Tag Across Europe) for mailing Tom with this great rail replacement helicopter. Just hope it doesn't go so popular now she can't ride it herself.

[@jamierobinson2814]

I know right! That's what i'm saying!

[@PeterFabian]

Now Wendover is connected to this all somehow 😂 this is like six degrees of Kevin Bacon except about a rail replacement service 😂

[@thomas127]

Can you tell me when in the episode this occurs? I must have missed that 😂

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Huh. Small world.

[@mikolasstrajt3874]

We got train replacement steamboat in Czech republic, but this is more cool.

[@Richardincancale]

I’ve been for lunch in Monaco by helicopter - you just needed to buy an Air France ticket to Nice and add on the optional helicopter ride to Monaco for about 50€. Flight is about 10 minutes (compared to 90 minutes by taxi) and it also includes a fancy minicab in Monaco to take you where you want to go! I got to sit next to the pilot as I’m light - real fun trip for a lunch! And a return ride too 😊

[@matthijsdeboer9932]

I would not be able to live with myself if I took a helicopter to have lunch somewhere.

[@martinh88]

That actually sounds like quite good value.

[@ktxed]

that's pretty baller

[@David12scht]

That's crazy affordable. Taking a 90 minute taxi ride would get pretty close to 50 euros anyway, right?

[@worldtraveler930]

I'll definitely make a note of this!!! 🤠👍

[@Koploper77]

Let's all thank Sophie from Jetlag episode 1 for emailing this great advice to tom scott

[@jamierobinson2814]

Yes, That's what i'm saying!

[@gordonmcmillan883]

I'll bet the Scottish "Bus Replacement Train" at Leadhills was a lot cheaper to run. 8-)

[@corbinlegrand]

100% chance this ends up in Tom's newsletter next week.

[@MargaretUK]

I thought that too!

[@tobarstep]

The Airwolf theme song was a nice touch. Brought me back a few years, there.

[@retroanimemike]

That HAS to be very expensive to run, but it IS Switzerland, so I guess it makes sense! Nice find! PS. thank you everyone for your input on the swiss transit system! it really seems robust and buit to serve rather than extract money!

[@jorgestravels]

They actually have no choice, they have to guarantee the service to the population.

[@weppwebb2885]

I honestly have no Idea what a helicopter ride costs. The only real alternative seems to be renting a hotel for everyone who needs to stay in the valley for that time, so the helicopter might be the cheaper option :D

[@samuelbhend2521]

It's expensive even for swiss Stadards, that's why they limit who can use it. Also in my Region there are Mountainvillages who regularely get cutoff by Avalanches at Wintertime and have to use Helicopters to get Food, Basics and People in and out. Tim mentioned it costs SFr.7.20/Person, which at 5 Passengers is SFr. 36.- That pays approx. Half of the Fare for the 90 seconds ride. The Rest is Paid for by the Railway, the Village and last but not least, because it's Part of the public Transportinfrastructure, by Taxmoney.

[@petermangold7524]

In Switzerland, we call this “Public Service“ (the French term Service publique is used). To my knowledge, there‘s no permanently inhabited village without some sort of public transit service. Other examples of heavily subsidized services: Every permanently inhabited house is legally entitled to internet access with a minimum speed of - i think - 300 Mbits. The government-owned provider Swisscom has to ensure this access. Secondly, there‘s also a widespread, albeit diminishing, network of post offices or postal-service-stations, even in remote places.

[@samuelbhend2521]

Yes, up until the postal Service got privatized, it was mandatory by Law that every Villige of more than 200 Inhabitants must be connected by Public Transport.

[@SiVlog1989]

That's the most awesome rail replacement service I've ever seen. Imagine the ferries between the Channel Islands all being out of service for some reason and the only other way to get between them is by helicopter

[@mysterioanonymous3206]

40 bucks a minute (in Switzerland)...

[@TelefonSquid]

Bahnersatzbus would be too easy for us in germany. At least in NRW we call it Schienenersatzverkehr. So if a peculiar circumstance would call for a rail replacement helicopter, it wouldn't be far fetched to call that specific unit a Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopter.

[@steffahn]

Well, the good thing about the word Schienenersatzverkehr (“rail replacement transport”) is that it doesn’t specify the mode of transport. Could be a bus, taxi, boat, plane, helicopter, rocket, carriage, rickshaw, …, anything without a rail.

[@Ruinenoberbaurat_Weckenbarth]

Yes, but you would probably need a Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopterflugerlaubnis. And you should apply for this early, as the Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopterflugerlaubnisgenehmigungsprozess might take some time.

[@steffahn]

@@Ruinenoberbaurat_Weckenbarth Make sure to consult a Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopterflugerlaubnisgenehmigungsprozessdauerabschätzungsexperte in advance to check it its worth the wait. And make sure they have the required Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopterflugerlaubnisgenehmigungsprozessdauerabschätzungsexpertise, as best indicated by a Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopterflugerlaubnisgenehmigungsprozessdauerabschätzungszertifikat from an official Schienenersatzverkehrshelikopterflugerlaubnisgenehmigungsprozessdauerabschätzungszertifizierungsstelle.

[@Croz89]

Is helikopter a denglish replacement for hubschrauber?

[@steffahn]

@@Croz89 Wiktionary writes about this: “im 20. Jahrhundert von englisch ‘helicopter’ entlehnt, das von französisch ‘hélicoptère’ übernommen wurde und auf griechisch ‘ἕλιξ’ (helix) - Genitiv ‘ἕλικος’ (helikos) - ‘Windung, Kreislauf, Spirale’ und ‘πτερόν’ (pteron) ‘Feder, Flügel’ zurückgeht.” “borrowed in the 20th century from the English word ‘helicopter,’ which was taken from the French ‘hélicoptère,’ and is derived from the Greek ‘ἕλιξ’ (helix) - genitive ‘ἕλικος’ (helikos) - meaning 'twist, circulation, spiral,' and ‘πτερόν’ (pteron), meaning 'feather, wing'.”

[@absolutjackal]

+1000 points for use of the Airwolf theme music. Tim wins the internet for the day.

[@MarceloBenoit-trenes]

Agree!

[@miallo]

Others might have a bus replacement rail service but what the world needs is a Tom replacement Tim service!

[@hardanheavy]

Bahnersatzbus is a bit of a weak effort. Here in Bavaria it's SEV, 'Schienenersatzverkehr' (literally: rail replacement traffic). 'Traffic' because you can get lucky: after a huge storm took out the metro for a couple of weeks, I got to travel (part of) my commute by taxi. Sheer luxury ^^

[@petermangold7524]

We are all in for easy, simple expressions here in Switzerland: For example, your ÖPNV does not exist here. It‘s simply ÖV.

[@bjornkeizers]

That... is freaking awesome. You'd figure at some point they'd say 'fuck it, deal with it'. But it's awesome that they actually set up a helicopter just to help people out.

[@kernelpanic2887]

There arent any suitable roads up there, so this is an important connection

[@ihaka3925]

In most countries, access to reliable public transport is not seen as a fundamental right.. in switzerland it is

[@arnoldhau1]

No, that is not how it works in Switzerland. In many things, its of course just "deal with it". But if it has been decided that there is a train, then they will also look for a way to replace it.

[@HailHydra27]

America moment

[@sangay9361]

You're not allowed to simply stop public transport here in Switzerland. We also have cool things like if you should not be able to catch your connecting bus or train because of a delay (which is rare since delays are short and usually the connecting vehicle waits) and now there isn't one for the entire night (as is usual for valleys and other remote areas) they have to either pay you a stay in the hotel or a taxi drive to your home

[@anttipng]

Tim, I hope I'll hear you on Toms podcast one day.

[@FatGuyInaTruck]

The music during the helicopter flight was spot on! Brought back memories of watching that show when I was young.

[@Vokabre]

The islands of Valaam (famed for its monastery) and Kizhi (famed for wooden buildings) in Karelia are usually connected to the land by a ferry in summer and hovercraft in winter. But for mid-season there's a Mi-8 passenger service instead.

[@DeccaOnline]

The whole thing is so stunning and your choice of musical score is just brilliant.

[@grvl307]

The airwolf theme brought tears to my eyes. I relived my childhood 😂

[@Tulio_Laanen]

Thanks Tom!

[@mschrysa]

Haha, good to see Tom passed on the message! I'm going there this weekend, I hope not all of Zürich will be there. 🤞

[@kernelpanic2887]

Currently about a 3h wait, probably worse on weekends

[@MedicWarrior27]

@@kernelpanic2887 probably will be simply "Locals only" after this time

[@Eddyspeeder]

If you remember this flight as a train ride... yes there's something wrong with you. 😜 Also, thanks Tom!

[@nicolascomesse7432]

With Tom Scott slowing down his pace and maybe stopping his videos soon, you're my number one selection for a replacement! Thanks for the videos!

[@Strudlfaust]

0:24 To be honest, in many German-speaking areas it would be Schienenersatzverkehr. Which is still be one word but much more fun

[@1258-Eckhart]

In Germany, the standard term for this is "Schienenersatzverkehr", shortened to SEV. Anybody flying to Munich at the moment and wanting to go into town by S-Bahn will be confronted by the need to use SEV, either to Neufahrn (S1) or to Besucherpark (S8). BTW, by use of the term "-verkehr", one can't distinguish the actual means, so a helicopter service would also merely be "SEV".

[@owenstockwood5040]

I will also note that the 90 second flight time would mean that this also roughly matches the flight time from Westray to Papa Westray, meaning that this is also in the running for the shortest average scheduled flight in the world (average flight time, that route still holds the absolute record at 53 seconds).

[@danielAgorander]

Dat Airwolf tune... right in the childhood, man! :D

[@dangrewe3315]

I loved being surprised by the music from that 80s TV show: Air Wolf. Perfect for the helicopter trip.

[@andrzejpowaka248]

It would actually be a "Schienersatzhubschrauber" in German :) Amazing find, Tim.

[@TrevorMoses312]

I see a new TTT video, I click like within 10 seconds.I have never been wrong and there you go: at 3:17 we have the Airwolf theme! 😊😊😆🚁🚁

[@1951split]

4:18 "Schienenersatzhubschrauber"

[@fauzirahman3285]

Thanks for playing a rendition of one of my most favourite TV theme songs when I was a kid.

[@pat370]

Takes get to the chopper to a whole new level

[@Adarisa]

Almost as good as the video is the fight that's breaking out down here in the comments between the Swiss Germans and the German Germans as to what you call a rail replacement bus in German..

[@laurencet7032]

Worth a view and a like for working in the airwolf theme alone👍

[@houghmartin]

Great use of the Airwolf theme 😊

[@twanhogervorst9477]

Everyone is talking about the amazing cover of the Airwolf theme, but did nobody notice the intro of "Budgie the Little Helicopter" at the end of the video?

[@Croz89]

Probably because everyone and their dog has heard the Airwolf theme, but Budgie is mostly in the hazy childhood memories of British millennials that were born around 1990.

[@Kafj302]

it would be funny if Tom posted an impromptu video like "i couldn't get here myself so here is a link to Tim's video, like this is all this video was going to be, and i'm sort of miffed that i wasn't able to make it there myself. Seriously this is just going to be me rambling for the next like 5 minutes, and Tim's video link is right in the description, and up in the corner, maybe somewhere on screen, and most certainly on the end title screen as well. i'm just padding the video at this point. i could talk about gerbils when TIM'S (getting obviously annoyed you haven't clicked away, like this could be in the captions as well), video is right there. (insert just him on his phone doing some on the spot research about gerbils), you are still here......did you really want something about gerbils? i am going to look at the video retention of this after it's been uploaded, and IF you people really want a video on gerbils, ~throws hands in the air~ i guess i'll do a bonus video or something. anyways Tim;s video on the Rail Replacement HELICOPTER is right there. ~mumbling as he walks off screen~ why did i even record for this long" ~fade to black~ Captions appear on black screen "WHAT ARE YOU DOING the video is over, and you stuck around to read these, what am i going to do with you people now?" video actually ends.

[@teh-maxh]

It'll probably go in the newsletter.

[@Kafj302]

@@teh-maxh probably, but you never know Tom has done stranger, like the video that updates it's number of watches. You know how the English are, a little pettiness here and there.

[@Voltaic_Fire]

A rail replacement helicopter is just awesome, sure beats a busted up backup bus.

[@wraitholme]

That Airwolf theme cover warmed my heart.

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

So this is actually a Tom Traveller video, right? (Or is it Tim Scott?) 😜

[@CMDRSweeper]

Ah! You put a smile on my face with that Air Wolf alike theme song played in the video :P Semi fitting as you are fairly close or rather closer to where the Airwolf helicopter "died" in 1992. It crashed into a hill in Germany flying as an air ambulance in fog.

[@Kobay350]

Love throwing the Airwolf theme in for when you're on the helicopter.

[@xCPTxNEMO]

Loved that rendition of the Airwolf theme, perfect choice.

[@officialmcdeath]

CHF7.20? Sounds like they're still honouring the Zonal system that Braunwaldbahn is part of - you could've done it all on one ticket from central Zürich 😂 \m/

[@steffahn]

Looks like he didn’t arrive the same day though; would it still work?

[@paulhaynes8045]

Brilliant! Unexpected, even by your standards - and very enjoyable. All we need now is a Scottish KZbinr called Tam...

[@haffolderhaus]

In the 90s I was in Glarus several times for professional reasons and I also know this railway. Such a beautiful video. 👀👀👍👍😲 In Germany we now refer to “rail replacement traffic” (Schienenersatzverkehr SEV) as “survive the replacement traffic” (Survive Ersatzverkehr). It's sometimes dramatic how overcrowded the buses are - or even non-existent. You can judge that next year between Mannheim and Frankfurt on the Riedbahn.

[@AmauryJacquot]

using the "Airwolf" theme is brilliant at 4:06 in the background is a fixed measurement GPS antenna to check for things like mountain mouvements.

[@roderickmain9697]

Well done Tim and Tom. Does Geoff Marshall know about this?

[@RMTStudios]

Love the airwolf theme!!!❤❤❤

[@bartman999]

Forget Marvel/DC, The Tim Traveller - Tom Scott crossover is the one the world needs!

[@Eteokles81]

Haha, I flew that route downhill when we had a class trip to Braunwald for a week. It was awesome and probably sparked my helicopter virus :D - And then the Airwolf theme.. love it!

[@EppelheimTV]

Thank you for uploading again, especially since I did a thnig that was inspired by you very recently. Last Monday, I wanted to meet a friend but he had to cancel at short notice as he fell sick. I was thinking "Oh no, now I have my day off without anything planned. What should I do?" But as I am living in Heidelberg and have a railpass valid in all of Baden-Württemberg, I decided to go to Hornberg and visit the worlds biggest toilet.

[@fireaza]

I'd have to imagine that at multiple times while planning this trip, he was told that the only train into the town would be down for maintenance and they recommended he come on a different day, not realizing that's the point.

[@lakuholden4]

Oh I bet they understood the point. They just didn't want tourists clogging up the helicopter, since they have such a low capacity.

[@proposmontreal]

Since Tom Scott is looking to retire (or take a long break) I think he's preparing his successor

[@russellb1212]

Cap doffed to use of Airwolf theme, another excellent video

[@cncshrops]

Braunwald (sp?) looks an awful lot like The Village in The Prisoner. We just needed stripy awnings and Patrick McGoohan for the full package. Also, lucky, clever, bugger for getting an alpine chopper rider for the price of a burger.

[@dancedecker]

As you say Tim, what a brilliant solution. But, unless I'm missing something, a question came to mind. Braunwald has no road connection, the goods wagon behind the funicular was quite small, so how do they get all those tractors, vans and taxis that run around the village, up there in the first place? Helicopter? Excellent as always Tim and Airwolf theme was inspired as usual. Lol. 😂

[@rockstardonut777]

I just looked this up on the town website and: yes that is correct. “Für Güter, welche die maximale Transportkapazität der Braunwaldbahn überschreiten (oftmals Maschinen, Container oder Baumaterialien) müssen per Helikopter nach Braunwald gebracht werden.”

[@bernaue4505]

@@rockstardonut777 Actually surprised they don't use a flat bed wagon trailer on the railway, like I believe some mountain railways do?

[@rockstardonut777]

@@bernaue4505 yes i'd think so too. But i haven't seen it myself, I'm only reading about it :) It's quite possible it actually exists

[@irishrebel7616]

Love the “Air Wolf” theme song. Great touch!

[@heliofaros1344]

Wow, I noticed a background music today and even recognized it 😊