Taking the Train From Zurich to Munich This Weekend? Pack Patience

Rail travellers crossing the Alps over the next two weekends face significant disruption, as engineering works hit several international corridors linking Switzerland, Germany and Italy. The biggest impact is between Lindau-Reutin and Munich, where DB InfraGO is renewing track between Memmingen and Munich from November 12 to 17. During the core window from November 13 to 16, international EuroCity trains between Lindau-Reutin and Munich Hauptbahnhof are cancelled and replaced by coaches, according to a summary of operator notices published by Nomad Lawyer.

The replacement buses run via Memmingen, and the summary estimates that a Zurich–Munich journey will take 60 to 90 minutes longer than usual. Coaches cannot carry a train’s full bicycle allocation, and oversized sports equipment may not fit, so cyclists and winter-sports travellers are the most likely to be caught out. Anyone with a fixed onward connection in Munich, whether a flight from Munich Airport or a long-distance ICE, should build in extra time or consider travelling a day earlier to avoid a missed connection.

South of the Alps, works on the Monte Olimpino 1 tunnel between Como San Giovanni and Chiasso affect the Gotthard route into Italy on two long weekends, from Friday, November 13, to Monday, November 16, and again from Friday, November 20, to Monday, November 23. During those windows, EuroCity trains including EC 150 and EC 151 between Milan and Frankfurt and EC 173 from Basel to Milan skip the Como San Giovanni stop, while some regional TILO services in the area are replaced by buses. Travellers heading to Lake Como should allow extra time.

There are smaller closures elsewhere too. The Simplon corridor has an overnight closure between Rho and Busto Arsizio from 22:40 on November 14 to 07:20 on November 15, affecting late-night regional trains and the Malpensa Express, while SNCF Réseau works between Saint-Louis and Basel SBB from November 14 to 16 mean TER trains from Strasbourg and Mulhouse terminate short of Basel. Because these details come from a secondary summary, travellers should confirm their specific train in the DB, SBB or Trenitalia journey planners before setting out.

Sources: Nomad Lawyer, Deutsche Bahn, SBB