Additional trains and traffic jam forecasts for Ascension and Whitsun
Published: Monday, May 6th 2024, 12:10
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There will be an increased volume of traffic on Swiss roads and railways over Ascension Day and Whitsun. As every year, the Touring Club Switzerland expects kilometers of traffic jams on the Gotthard. The SBB is relying on additional trains.
The first traffic congestion at the Gotthard north portal is likely to occur on Wednesday. There are also likely to be waiting times on Ascension Thursday, the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) announced in a press release on Monday. The traffic situation should have calmed down by Friday evening. The TCS recommends traveling south during the night from Thursday to Friday or early Friday morning. Return traffic is expected on Sunday.
A lot of southbound traffic can be expected on the Whitsun weekend of May 17/18. The traffic situation in front of the Gotthard Tunnel is likely to be most intense on the outward journey on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. For the return journey, most traffic is expected on Whit Monday and Tuesday.
The TCS recommends starting the outward journey on Friday morning. It is also worth setting off on Saturday night or early Saturday morning. Return journeys on Whit Monday or Tuesday afternoon should be avoided. We recommend traveling late Monday evening or on Tuesday night.
The Federal Roads Office recommends that travelers from the greater Zurich area and eastern Switzerland take the San Bernardino route. Travelers from the Central Plateau can avoid the route via the Simplon or Lötschberg and drivers from Western Switzerland have the option of driving through the Grossen-Sankt-Bernhard tunnel for a fee.
Additional trains to Ticino
Many passengers will also be traveling by train over Ascension and Whitsun. SBB will be running 61 additional trains over the Ascension weekend and 48 additional trains over Whitsun. Trains will also be extended with additional coaches or train units. In total, SBB is offering more than 52,000 additional seats on Ascension Day and around 47,000 additional seats at Whitsun.
The trains that run north-south on the ascent all travel via the Gotthard panoramic route. This means a travel time extension of around one hour compared to the journey through the Gotthard Base Tunnel. For the return journey on Sunday and for the outward and return journey on the Whitsun weekend, a large proportion of the additional trains can travel through the Gotthard Base Tunnel with shorter journey times.
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