Thurbo - "Die Regionalbahn". From Konstanz to St Gallen

It's time for a short hop from Konstanz (DE) to St Gallen (CH) on a rather wet Monday morning in March. But the fun part is that we'll get to try out the area's local trains that are provided by Thurbo "Die Regionalbahn".
Thurbo is operated by SBB, with support from the local canton government of Thurgau (hence the name). The service is provided by a fleet of Stadler GTW EMUs in a rather fetching white livery and so we get the chance to give one of them a go.
Departure: Konstanz, Germany
Destination: St Gallen, Switzerland
Distance: 36 km / 22 miles
Duration: 35 mins
Average speed: 62 km/h 44 mph
Example cost: Adult advance single booked from the UK on TrainLine
1st Class: €37,50 / £32.20
2nd Class: €21,50 / £18.40
Date of Travel: March 2024
Operator: Thurbo by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS)
Motive power: RABe 526 GTW 2/8 electric multiple unit
Manufacturer: Stadler
Entered service: 2003-2013
Thank you to everyone that supports the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting or just watching these videos. I really appreciate it!

[@keithparker5125]

You really need to make a video about Lindau - the new Reutin station is served by DB (Germany), OeBB (Austria) and SBB (Switzerland) with both local and intercity trains. I holiday there every year because it is so central (Munich and Zurich are only 2 hours away and Innsbruck can be reached in 3 hours). All 3 countries are within a 30 minute train ride ( a fourth, Lichtenstein takes a little longer via Feldkirch) and you get an amazing deal when staying there - guests in Lindau hotels get a free pass on local buses and trains on the northern shore of the Bodensee for the duration of their stay). An ideal train trip is a journey around the lake on the Guertelbahn from Lindau to Konstanz via Friedrichshafen and Radolfzell, returning to Lindau via Romanshorn, Rorschach, St. Margrethen, and Bregenz).

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for all that! I shall make a note. You are not the first person in the comments to point me towards Lindau, so maybe i should go sooner rather than later 😉 Best wishes to you and thanks for watching 👍

[@kevinellis8869]

Another good 'off the beaten track' video. Hope Mark hasn't charged you an appearance fee!

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks! No. Mark has generously waived his fee on this one. 😉

[@tomcarr1358]

Good to see. It's a bit late to remind you of the library at St. Gallen. Add the Zeppelin to your list if ever you are on the other side of the lake at Friedrichshafen

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

It is too late for trip. But they are now on my (long) list of things for future trips. So thank you 👍 And of course, thanks for watching 👍

[@enricomonti156]

I went to Bodensee, but in Bregenz and in Lindau. The latter is so beautiful and you can travel there by train, making it the only lake island served by a railway in Europe

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for that. I admit i had to open up google maps to have a look at where Lindau was. How very very interesting. That would make a good video! I've made a note of it 👍 And of course, thanks for watching too 👍

[@ampersand.]

Well, that was very damp - hope it wasn`t horribly cold as well. Lovely architecture shots (as always) and what very jolly seating on that little train. More public transport should be bright and cheerful like that. Thanks for the Monday treat.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

It was not cold at all, just damp. And i agree about the jolly seating. I can imagine my three kids, when they were younger, squabbling because they wanted their favourite colour of headrest (they squabbled a lot and about literally anything). Thanks, as always, for watching 👍

[@trustno1.]

living in kreuzlingen. that karlsruhe train gives me flashbacks. i used to take this train almost every weekend as i had a long distance relationship with a woman near Mainz. i began to hate the route because i had to drive it so many time and it took 5hrs :D and a little funfact for you i case you didnt know. the word thurbo was created out of the two words thurgau-bodensee, the name of the kanton and the german word for lake constance

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for the information and for sharing your memories. And thanks for watching too 👍

[@librarian16]

Thank you for drawing attention to the mobility aids.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for saying so David. I will try to keep it up in future videos. Lots of people watch so they can follow my footsteps, even though their feet don't quite step as well as mine. Thanks for watching another 👍

[@aidangebhardt7990]

It's fun watching you take the trains I use every day (I live in Kreuzlingen). This is also referring to your last video Zürich-Konstanz.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Ah thank you for saying so. Yes, i get the same feeling when someone comes to my home area and makes an excited video about what i think is commonplace! Thank you so much for watching 👍

[@clivelangham435]

This was great. Shame about the weather. Looking forward to more videos. Thank you.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. The weather doesn't get much better on the second trip that day (which comes out on Friday) ... but the ones after that were all in the sunshine ☀️ Thanks for watching 👍

[@DonaldTrumpIsGreat]

Nice 👍

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. And thanks for watching 👍

[@peterdnreynolds777]

Brilliant video!! Beautiful scenery!! Hope all is well, take care

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks Peter. Despite the foul weather it was indeed a lovely run along the lakeside then through the countryside. Thanks for coming along again 👍

[@jeremiahreilly9739]

Fun to watch this pleasant little ride. Sorry to see you deal with so much rain. Here in Basel has been mostly sunny with a bit of spotty rain or overcast. I hope you plan a return trip to Switzerland. There are so many other beautiful rides which make travelling through Switzerland as much a joy as being in Switzerland. (Some pronunciation quibbles: St. Gallen = Sankt Gallen; Palazzo Vecchio = Palazzo Vehk-ki-o; Wittenbach = Vittenbach-or close enough.)

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for watching and for the pronunciations. I struggle with getting it right all the time and you can be sure i appreciate any pointers. What i should really do (before i edit a video) is list all the place names and get followers to spell them out phonetically like this. Then I would know what to say on the voiceover BEFORE i make the edit!... you know, I might just try that 😉

[@Korschtal]

I often catch the Karlsruhe trains from Offenburg when visiting family so It's interesting seeing this from an outside perspective, although it's a shame that the weather didn't help. I hope you enjoyed this lovely region anyway...

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

I will eventually get to spend more time in Germany making videos. There are so many lovely trips to take and places to visit... it's just that the world is such a big place! Thank you so much for watching this one 👍

[@paulgibsonphotography]

Great Video Johnny

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks Paul. And thank you for watching another 👍

[@christinehodge3608]

Good video

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. And thanks for watching 👍

[@johncrwarner]

We did a ferry over the Bodensee (we like boats and trains) to Lindau - seeing a Zeppelin flying on the way. Then took a local train from Lindau via Breganz then into Switzerland changing in St Gallen named after an Irish saint St Gall (with the double l making the vowel short) The Physician Galen is pronounced as you said but Gallen is a short a sound. We took a tram to Appenzell (in Cheese country) and there were some weird rack and pinion parts to get this light rail / tram over the hills.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for all that. Sorry about the St Fallen pronunciation 🤷‍♂️ Someone else has mentioned Lindau. I do think there's so much more to do and see in this area. I've noted your comment into my long list of things i could do in the future, so thanks for that 👍 And thanks too for watching 👍

[@johncrwarner]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels No worries, as we can no longer travel easily (my partner has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's) we travel by watchin KZbin videos so enjoy yours amongst others. As we live in Germany and enjoy / enjoyed Switzerland especially boats and trains we have been to the Northern Swiss area many times and visited Konstanz, St Gallen and Lindau many times. Enjoy yourself and keep making videos I was interested that a lot of the missionaries to the Southern Germans and Swiss were Irish I think they even got as far south as Northern Italy and the Irish / Celtic church was so crucial for the survival of Christianity in the West.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

@@johncrwarner thank you for that. It is lovely to hear that you can still travel vicariously through me, and I'm humbled to know that you come along. Thank you so much for doing so. Best wishes to you and your partner ❤️

[@rogerschuerch7768]

Thurbo will replace their GTW with FLIRT (with the normal 2+2 configuration) in the next years.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Cool. I did read something about that, but it was just after I'd completed editing and uploaded the video. I'm sure the GTWs will find someone willing to take them on when they are released. Thank you so much for watching 👍

[@Fan652w]

Interesting video. But to put it mildly, I was extremely disappointed that you showed us almost nothing of the public transport paradise which exists OUTSIDE St Gallen station. This heaven-on-earth includes tram-trains running Appenzell to Trogen which have a first class compartment at the Trogen end!; double-articulated in-motion-charging battery-electric trolleybuses; and the double deck buses used by Postbus on some quite scenic out-of-town routes. The double-deck buses are built by a firm called Dennis-Alexander.... (And whenever I visit Switzerland I always visit St Gallen city to ride on all these forms of transport using my Swiss Travel Pass.)

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@rachelehrenberg9231]

You boys literally passed my home when you went through the Rosenberg tunnel. And by the way. In English it is perfectly ok to say St. GAL-IN as you did initially. GALL-IN is not even close to either the English or Dialect pronunciation. That is all.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Ah we should have waved 😄 And St Gallen? Others have said the same. I was so unsure that i watched a video on KZbin about the city made by the university and i was sure the Gaul-in pronunciation was correct. My mistake... but honestly i did try and research it 🤷‍♂️ I honestly love all the corrections people post. I really want to do the best i can with other people's place names and languages even if i am doomed to failure sometimes. Thanks for sticking with me 👍

[@Theme.Park.Global]

Another great vid. Thank you. Ps is “mark” the guy from Let’s make a trip?!

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes. That's the guy! Thanks for watching 👍

[@mfs5493]

Rivers have banks, lakes have shores. Just sayin..

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Oh you are so right. Keep the pedantry coming. Maybe one day i won't mess up. Though that was a bad one... And thanks so much for watching 👍

[@Slithermotion]

Ok… So switzerland has borders on the lake. Austria has no borders and sees the lake as a common shared commodity. Germany is the only country that has no clear definition except for it‘s bay areas. Tom scotts video was a bit misleading presenting only the german view and even left out the bit where they also claim certain parts of the lake.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for that clarification. Sorry to hear Mr Scott didn't quite tell the whole story. And thanks too for watching 👍

[@Sim0nTrains]

Nice video, shame about the weather

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

The weather will pick up in some later videos. We rail KZbinrs just have to take the weather we are dealt with don't we! Thanks for watching another 👍

[@michaellaudahn]

Please try to stay near the original pronunciation, if you will. Like St Gallen: Your bid at 0:56 was near perfect. Why did you then revise your decision, to henceforth get it wrong?

[@Fan652w]

And he must have heard the normal German pronunciation, which he did use early in the video, from the pre-recorded on-board train announcements.

[@rachelehrenberg9231]

Hi. Mark Swain's Swiss friend from St. Gallen here. You are perfectly correct in your pronunciation of St. Gallen in English. In German or in our unintelligible local dialect it is different but as you are addressing an English speaking audience you are fine. No disclaimer necessary.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thank you all for commenting here about the St Gallen failure. I went on KZbin and found a video by the university and i was sure that they said St Gaulen in their voiceover, so i went with that... should have just stuck with what i was saying at the start... but honestly, I did try! Anyway, I'm very tempted to put out a posting before i do an edit of all the foreign place names I'm about to pass through in the video so people can put me right before i fall flat on my face! It one thing i would like to get better. Thanks again to you all for watching and commenting. Do keep picking me up on any details you think are wrong... pedantry is totally welcome here 👍

[@michaellaudahn]

Thanks a lot for your constructive attitude! I think I can give you two tips: 1) Often, the WP article on the location in question indicates its pronunciation (in IPA). 2) Unfortunately it appears that pupils in the anglosphere are still not being taught about the GVS (great vowel shift) in english, and what it means when confronted with other (non-GVS) languages. If you go to that WP article, then click on Talk (top left), then go to the last comment (beginning 'The linguistic knowledge level...'), you will learn the whole issue with a simple example, within minutes. Good luck, and keep'em coming. And don't listen to those who seem to have motives to maintain the present situation .) @@JohnnyHooverTravels

[@rachelehrenberg9231]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels As Mark knows I am by nature a teacher. I am honoured that you accept my pedantic nature. Enjoy your travels.