Zürich to Konstanz - Switzerland to Germany (just) with SBB regional

The second part of my Sunday trip across Switzerland sees me continuing my journey on from Zürich Hauptbahnhof through the lush Swiss low(er)lands to the border city of Konstanz, which is by the lake of the same name.
We're a little way away from the true Swiss alpine scenery, so it gives us the chance to see what some of the rest of Switzerland has to offer. Also, we'll be rolling along inside the double-deck regional stock that puts many regional trains (certainly in the UK) to shame. It is a very comfortable ride indeed.
Departure: Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Switzerland
Destination: Konstanz, Germany
Distance: 88 km / 55 miles
Duration: 1 hrs 15 mins
Average speed: 70 km/h 44 mph
Example cost: Adult advance single booked from the UK on TrainLine
1st Class: €36,30 / £31.10
2nd Class: €20,20 / £17.30
Date of Travel: March 2024
Operator: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS)
Motive power: Re460 electric locomotive
Manufacturers: ABB Zürich and SLM Winterthur
Entered service: 1991-1996
Thank you to everyone that supports the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting or just watching these videos. I really appreciate it!

[@quuxjn2452]

Great video but I do have to correct a few things about the regional part because it isn't a regional service to begin with. The Interregio (IR) trains are actually part of the long distance trains alongside the IC, EC, ICE and TGV trains. The regional trains are the Regioexpress (RE), Regio (R), S-Bahn (S) and RER trains. Plus the trainset you traveled on (Re 460 + IC2020) is actually even an intercity trainset where they just didn't put a restaurant car in the consist but is otherwise also used in IC trains. So this also explains why it was such a good "regional" train because it actually was a long distance basically IC train. But this all doesn't matter in terms of ticket price because here we do not differentiate between regional services and long distance services. You buy a ticket for a certain line or zone and then you just take whatever you want that runs along that line or zone. It does not matter if that's a fast IC train, a slow regional train or even a bus.

[@Fan652w]

I am a regular British visitor to Switzerland. The point about tickets in your last sentence is of fundamental importance.

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

Thank you for making this post! I saw the IC2020 consist + Re460 locomotive and thought the same this: that is a IC. Not wonder it is a good ‘regional’ service, because it isn’t a regional service at all!

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes, I accept that is a good point to make. The train is Inter regional, not just regional and the stock is the IC2000 which certainly implies inter city quality. However, the comparison with the UK is quite stark in that trains running such routes would not in any way be quite so comfortable. Thank you for watching and best wishes 👍

[@The0070049]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels In Switzerland everything beside international connections(ICE, TGV, EC etc.) is basically „commuter traffic“(interval timetable, travel times mostly less than 60 minutes etc.) . It’s not uncommon to travel with high-end rolling stock on commuter services but also the other way round . The IR-version(with Bistro, less doors, more comfort) of Class 528 from BLS for example travels between the french(La Chaux-de-Fonds) and italian(Brig) border but also between Laupen and Langnau in the regional commuter network of Bern - due to overstock / lost tender processes for other national routes … . On the other side it happens that you can travel on a Stadler Flirt commuter product (S-Bahn Flirt) or a Stadler 501 EMU repectivly a german ICE for an internal IC service between Basel and Zürich - due to late evening schedule - consist transfer - delays etc. Back to the original topic : IR vs. RE RE is (at least per definition …) regionaly subsidised / ordered traffic - whilst IR is part of self-financed sector(long-distance etc) . Same here - when it comes to daily operation : IR for a canton Bern internal service Biel-Bern (with commuter double-deck rolling stock … ) but RE(with IR-class 528) for the bi-directional combined service to Zweisimmen(BE) and Brig(VS) or Entlebuch-Luzern . Another/the basic difference between „long-distance“/international and regional categories is basically the catering offer - in general … not povided in „regional“ traffic . So, a proper dining car will just be found on IC, EC, TGV, ICE. Most overseas visitors have different expections to so-called long-distance services - regarding the general price level … Therefor it’s good to know, that higher-end products are rather to find on mainly tourist related offers in the alps(such as Glacier-, Bernina-, GoldenPass- journeys) . The price tag otherwise more reffers to frequency-flexibility-reliability etc.

[@Luwi75]

This train (IR75) is NOT a regional product: it‘s an Interregio or Intercity-train.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

A very good point, and one that others have also made. When i get home, back to my computer, i plan to alter some of the video description to make that clearer. Even though, now its uploaded, I cannot alter the actual content of the video itself. Thanks for watching and pointing out the error. Do continue to do so with all my videos, as that's one of the ways i can make future content more accurate 👍

[@EuropAir]

Thanks for the video. As some other viewer already commented, this is not at all a regional train. You travelled on an Interregio (IR), part of the long-distance trains in Switzerland. Only the Intercity IC is faster than an IR, but it only runs on a few routes. In international traffic, of course, there are also trains such as the TGV, ICE, RJ Railjet and EC EuroCity. Slower (means mores stops) than the IR is the RegioExpress RE. If you really want to travel on real regional trains, then these are trains with the designation "R" for Regio and "S" for S-Bahn. From Zurich HB to Constance you would have to change trains at least twice with S and R trains - and believe me, the rolling stock is also a little different...

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

Yeah the S or R trains are a lot less comfortable, still good, but a lot less comfortable.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes a very fair point. I accept that criticism 👍 And thank you so much for watching 👍

[@Diana-andre2018]

Good and interesting video again, the first class fare seemed very reasonable as well. Good you are meeting Mark too. Yourself, Mark and Steve Marsh, not forgetting Scott are without doubt the best KZbinrs for the interesting and entertaining way you all present your videos, I always look forward to watching you all.😊

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

That is lovely of you to say. I am somewhat humbled to be part of that list... thank you ❤️

[@Diana-andre2018]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels👍😊

[@sandiandgregh]

Agreed. They’re a great group of KZbinrs!

[@77smp]

I'll guess there's a certain percentage of your viewership that are vaguely familiar with Winterthur... Anyway, after this I'm having a nap, am feeling quite.....JET LAGGED 😉 Probably a few Swiss going "rowdy, in 1st class! This is Switzerland not the C2C for Southend!" 😄 Lovely video as usual 🙂

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

I can’t imagine Swiss getting rowdy in First class 🤣

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Haha, yes. I tried to make the comment about Winterthur without being rude to either the city or the viewers! Probably missed that target a bit! Best comment of the week goes to you with the "this is Switzerland not the c2c to Southend"... hahaha!!! Thanks for being there. Much appreciation 👍

[@Fan652w]

Excellent video! The most important shot was at 2m 1s showing the departure board. The same basic timetable operates seven-days-a week. So despite it being a Sunday, we saw the Swiss Taktfahrplan in all its glory. Numerous IC and IR trains converge on Zurich at around 30 past the hour, and interconnect with each other. The IR75 Johnny caught would have arrived from Konstanz at 1525 and given connections to destination all over Switzerland, eg to the 1532 IC1 to Bern, Lausanne and Geneva.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes, it was wonderful all week to see that timetable working so well everywhere i went. Quite a lesson to other countries that well funded public transport is something that a rich modern economy should strive for and maintain. 👍

[@Fan652w]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels Johnny - I strongly agree

[@Elibuwu]

The Red Arrow has "regular" runs that you can attend for..not too expensive of a price, with sometimes Fondue and sometimes just Brunch/Food. And you can book it for private runs, of course.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for that! Due you have a link to anywhere where there are more details? And thanks too for watching 👍

[@phronsiekeys]

A nice way to pass a Sunday afternoon!

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Very nice indeed! And we got abeer at the end! 👍🍺

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

Jeej! Another Johnny Hoover Travels video ❤

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

I know. They just keep on coming! Thanks for watching another 👍

[@Eunos]

Looking forward to seeing some collaborations with you and Mark. :)

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Watch out for a cameo coming up on Monday 😉 Thanks for watching another 👍

[@kevinellis8869]

Winterthur - think of the advertising on the station signs at Basingstoke! 159s are better than 158s, both are better seating-wise than the new generation. Looking forward to the collaboration - the English equivalent of Scott and Steve, keep up the good work!

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Haha @the English Scott and Steve! Hmm... maybe we should think of a challenge?

[@trustno1.]

Here you can see the problem of the Swiss network. It has a high density, the trains are always on time - but it feels like it takes forever to travel the short distances. An average of 70km/h is simply too slow for an intercity. It's just not that noticeable in Switzerland because it's so small

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

I think that is a fair comment. Although the topography of Switzerland does make all transport more difficult in general. Best wishes to you and for watching 👍

[@christinehodge3608]

Like Switzerland, good views,

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. Better views to come on some future videos when the weather picks up! 👍

[@enricomonti156]

The collaboration with Mark was long overdue. Can't wait

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. It was nice to catch up with him properly. He is very pleasant company indeed. I blame him now for all the busses I've been on since we got together 😂

[@aoilpe]

The famous 460 / 465 were designed by Pininfarina , the famous Italian car designer. Sad you haven’t showed the efficiency of the Swiss Public Transport System by changing trains and taking all sorts of transports - where you would have barely wasted time while changing…

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Good point about Pininfarina 👍 I will talk about Swiss train timekeeping in future videos... including some shots of the unique Swiss railway clocks! Thanks for watching this one 👍

[@Sim0nTrains]

Very nice journey on a regional train, views were amazing, great video

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks Simon. Best wishes to you from Devon 👍

[@andyml1]

Great video again, thanks Johnny. Reminds me of my visits to Bodensee (worth a video of its own - lots to see and do there from Zeppelin and ferry rides to the beauty of Lindau.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes it looked a lovely place. I was there less than 24 hours and it tipped down with rain all the time. But even so it seemed worthy of a return. Thanks for watching 👍

[@mariojsworld]

Great train trip.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thank you. And thanks for watching 👍

[@Timstravels01]

Another lovely railway journey and very reasonably priced. I’m looking forward to seeing you team up with Mark. Keep the vids coming!

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks Tim. Be happy to catch up with you too, especially the next time I'm up in the far north! Best wishes 👍

[@TWAYTRAY]

Mr. John Your efforts for this video of introducing is very beautiful. Carry-on your this beautiful job.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. Lovely of you to say! Best wishes to you and i shall continue to make the best videos that my talent, funds and time will allow! 👍

[@paulgibsonphotography]

Great Video Johnny

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks Paul 👍

[@genoobtlp4424]

Dunno if the 158 comparison is better or worse, but the IC2000 cars are more an equivalent of an IC225, with the single decker EW4 being the equivalent to an HST…

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes you might be right there. It's just that 158s/159s are still used in the UK on so many long inter regional services, I thought it was fair to make the comparison. And thank you so much for watching 👍

[@genoobtlp4424]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels fair enough, though I think in terms of original acquisition, the role of the 158 would’ve been the Domino/NPZ, though they’re mostly used on regional and commuter roles these days… on the other hand, I sincerely hope there’s not many 158 on intercity routes throughout the UK

[@sandiandgregh]

The train looked comfortable and clean. Looking forward to seeing you and Mark guesting in each others videos. As we have told him, you two are in our top 10 of fav KZbinrs. We appreciate the hard work (and maps!) you put into each video.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

To be in anyone's top ten will the millions of channels on KZbin is a very high accolade indeed. So thank you ❤️ Always appreciate the nod to the maps 😃 Mark will pop up in some cameos... it was great to spend a couple of days with him. As he is further along his KZbin journey he has been so generous to me with his help and advice. Best wishes to you 👍

[@kevincollis2632]

Nice one JH

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks. And thanks for watching 👍

[@clivelangham435]

Nice video. The stations and trains are so clean. Thank you. I'll be on the Shinkansen on Thursday. Going on the Nozomi, the fastest of the lot.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Have an absolute ball riding on Shinkansen. Most definitely a bucket list item for many rail fans 😀

[@jochemjonker3362]

Thanx for this video,always love to look at the side seeings of Switzerland.I was once on holiday,in my teens(Großhochstetten,Berner Oberland) and since than,i loved this country,allthough it sounds a little weird,to put it that way. Nice your traintrip ended this time,in Konstanz,the place were Jerry Auerswald lives and works.He's a one of a kind guitar and bassguitarbuilders.He has build different guitars and basses for Prince. He builded the models,Symbol guitar,model C(guitar and bass version) and the Cleo guitar.He's the kind of "Stradivarius of modern guitars",but not the man,to visit his workshop.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for the background about Konstanz. It seemed lovely there, but to be honest it rained hard for the whole time Mark and i were there, so we didn't see it at its best 🤷‍♂️ Thank you for watching too 👍

[@JoelVChan]

4:15 it is an IR (Interregio) configuration which is similar to the Intercity, with the only difference been that there is no restaurant coach.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for the extra information. And thanks too for watching 👍

[@WINGSANDRAILS]

Those sofa areas are great to meet people (often locals )on this ride.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Ah yes. They look a great place for a chat!

[@Fan652w]

Regarding fares, the April issue of Schweizer Eisenbahn Revue reports that over three million Swiss residents now have 'Halb Taxe Abonnements' giving 50% reduction on train travel (and discounts on other public transport). (Population of Switzerland is nearly nine million.) Anybody can buy a HTA (190 Franks per year). In addition 5% of Swiss residents have an annual General Abonnement. This GA gives free travel on all Swiss public transport excerpt purely tourist mountain lines. Any tourist visiting Switzerland and intending to travel extensively within the country should, of course, buy a Swiss Travel Pass. The STP has similar validity to a GA.

[@jochemjonker3362]

Thanx for the tip/advise.

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

Hmmm the STP is quite expensive, I would recommend the interrailpass. Unless you also want to visit a lot of museums: the STP can give a lot of reductions on museums.

[@Fan652w]

@@ElrosTar-Minyatur The Interrail only covers RAIL.while the STP covers all forms of public transport, including the boats on the lakes and the famous postbuses. The STP gives a 50% discount on most cable cars up mountains, and FREE ENTRY to most museums (though unfortunately an STP holder only gets a discounted price on entry to the superb transport museum at Lucerne.)

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

@@Fan652w O wauw 🤩 but is city public transport also covered? Busses, trams etc in for example Zurich, Luzern, Geneva? I know that if you stay in a hotel you get a public transport card. I’m for example Ticino the card covers the whole region!

[@Fan652w]

@@ElrosTar-Minyatur The Swiss Travel Pass most certainly does cover City Public Transport-and in every city in the country, not just in the city you are staying in. As I said in my last sentence the Swiss Travel Pass has similar validity to the Abonnementi Generale. As one Swiss Bus Driver said to me 'Ein Swiss Travel Pass ist ein General Abonnement fur Turiste'.

[@tides2002]

If you haven’t visited already, I would recommend St. Joseph’s Church in Le Havre for a master class in wooden board marked concrete.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

I have never heard of it! I will be having a look at that on Google right now though 😀 Thanks for watching and for the tip! 👍

[@tomcarr1358]

See also for your list the independent service from Arth Goldau to Romanshorn. If only able to use part of the line do not miss St .Gallen and the remarkable interior of the university library. Rapperswil to St Gallen is about 60kms which is maybe all you would want on a line which is fairly serpentine with the exception of one long tunnel. I met one of the drivers who was not content to live next to the railway but had 2 separate gauge model railways in his attic.

[@aoilpe]

Do you mean the Monastery Library …?

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

As i was only in St Gallen for 20 minutes on this trip, i missed all of its . However, the reason for the quick change was so we could catch the Voralpen Express, which took us on that lovely line to Rapperswil and . That one comes out on Friday this week! Thanks so much for the ideas for trips and for watching the videos 👍

[@alanbrown3015]

Price wise does 1st class inter rail stack up well v standard class? Also do overseas visitors pay less than the host country's people, similar to what happens in GB with Britrail pass v the All Lines rover.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Yes i think the extra for 1 st class is worth it. The difference isn't large imho. If you have an Interrail global pass then you get two of the days when you can also travel in your country of residence. Which can prove handy. My advice is to look at the Interrail website for all the myriad of different options. Also read up about it on The Man in Seat 61 website. ... and, of course, if you visit Switzerland wanting to travel even wider than the main rail system, the more expensive Swiss Travel Pass might be the option for you. Thanks for watching and best of luck in the search for the best deal! 👍

[@avia6083]

great video but you filmed the wrong side of weinfelden😂

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Haha yes. One of the problems of passing through a new place! Thanks for the kind words and rolling with the mistakes! 👍

[@LazyDaisyDay88]

I do like your videos but I feel they could be a bit longer/more detailed sometimes? I'd like to see more of the stations and the cities you visit at either end of each trip. I'm not particularly interested in the details of the train types (although I appreciate many are) so it would be good, for those like me, to see some other aspects of the trip rather than just a somewhat straightforward train journey? Hope that makes sense. Feel free to take my comments with a pinch of salt - its your channel :-)

[@Fan652w]

I agree with you. He said in one of his Dutch videos that he aims to help fellow travellers. In that he is only partially successful. In the two Swiss videos he has so far produced he has missed the two most crucial points about Swiss Public Transport. Firstly he has not mentioned that all Swiss public transport runs at regular intervals (usually at least hourly) and is timed to interconnect. Secondly he has not mentioned the Swiss Travel Pass, a pass sold to visitors to Switzerland and valid on all normal forms of public transport (including the boats!) and gives discounts on trips up mountains.

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

It is not a travel KZbin channel tough, this is more a trainchannel

[@Fan652w]

@@ElrosTar-MinyaturI have only just discovered Johnny's channel. Looking at the coverage of his videos it is very definitely trains, with a very occasional ferry. Buses (the most important form of public transport worldwide) seem to be ignored. That is certainly not the case with Mark's channel'

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks to you all for the lively debate here. Wrt how much time is given over to the departure or destination places is a bit of a balancing act. My videos are already what KZbin would refer to as "long form". Adding more information and images, whilst welcome to some, would also lower the ' pace' of the video and then cause others to look away. There is no right or wrong here. In the end, I can only make the stuff that i myself would want to watch. Interestingly, i already dwell at the departure stations much longer than some other creators. And this is because i am particularly interested in railway architecture. Sometimes i also feature aspects of the town or city too. Recently i included more shots of Porto than i might usually as i found the city both charming and photogenic. Wrt to Swiss Travel Pass, I already plan to talk about that in a future video. Probably the final one of the Swiss series so that i can wrap up the travel options as i saw them after my week in Switzerland. Oh, and the wonderful clockwork timetable will get a mention too. I even made sure to video the station clocks, which have a typically Swiss thing of the second hand pausing whilst the minute hand clicks over.. very neat Again, thank you all for engaging 👍

[@simonpilk]

Great to watch and yes those Ic2000 coaches with a 460 locomotive are much comfier than a nasty 502 EMU! I am also about to do an Interrail ticket (as I often have) and just wondered how awkward it is to actually create a KZbin channel detailing my travels also? Not in competition don’t worry!

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

Just do it! The more train/travelchannels, the better! ❤

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

I would encourage you to do it. I started merely to record my trips for my own amusement. One thing to note though is that, to get anything that you are proud of, you do have to spend the hard hours in the edit suite. This will often be a much lengthier task than the journey itself. So, you must enjoy that part of the creative process too. Best wishes. Do comment back if you upload something. I will happily take a look 👍

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Oh and the answer to your main question. If you have a Google account then it is easy to create a KZbin channel and basically you just upload the video and then follow your nose through the software...

[@simonpilk]

@@JohnnyHooverTravels I did guess that the amount of editing would be huge just to produce a few minutes of video. I am guessing you use a GoPro or similar for much of your recording. I certainly don’t think anything I did would be of suitable quality as many on here but I have been thinking about it for a little while.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

@@simonpilk yeah. Some of my 15min videos start with 2hrs of raw GoPro clips. Hence the editing is the thing that takes the time. But only by doing it can you learn and get better. So many times i have been editing and wished for a shot/clip that i didn't take... just live and learn and try to do better next time 🤷‍♂️

[@enemanozzle]

So haben sich die Zeiten geändert: Anfangs waren die aus einem Trieb- und einem Steuerwagen gebildeten Pendelzüge der MThB die einzigen elektrischen Züge im Bahnhof Konstanz. Heute sind sämtliche zulaufenden Strecken elektrifiziert; nach der Elektrifizierung Basel Bad Bf - Erzingen wird es hier sogar durchgehende Schnellzüge Basel - St. Gallen geben, womit in dieser Realtion das Umsteigen in Zürich HB entfallen wird.

[@genoobtlp4424]

Wann soll basel erzingen fertig sein?

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Thanks for that. I just wish there was more electrification here in the UK. Thanks to for watching 👍

[@enemanozzle]

@@genoobtlp4424 1927