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IC 2000 (Switzerland)
The Swiss national rail operator SBB has recently completed a modernisation program of its older double-decked trains used for its longer-distance express services.
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At a Glance
Travel Pass Supplement
Rail Pass Reservation Fees
Reservations
Available
Time of Day
Day
Catering
Food services available
Restaurant
Accessibility
Accessing the train
Wheelchair Spaces
Bikes Allowed
Train Specification
Attributes of the train
Double Deck
Has a Conductor
Country
Which country these trains operate in.
Switzerland
Travel Passes
Eurail
InterRail
Swiss Travel Pass
On Board
First Class
Perks
Power Socket
The power sockets on this train are compatible with standard E.U. two point plugs.
Trolley Service:
A catering trolley with hot and cold drinks and snacks should be taken through the train at some point during its journey.
All power sockets on these trains are only compatible with Swiss 3 pin plugs.
A catering trolley MAY be pushed through the train to provide an at seat service of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks.
Second Class
Perks
Power Socket
The power sockets on this train are compatible with standard E.U. two point plugs.
Trolley Service:
A catering trolley with hot and cold drinks and snacks should be taken through the train at some point during its journey.
All power sockets on these trains are only compatible with Swiss 3 pin plugs.
A catering trolley MAY be pushed through the train to provide an at seat service of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks.
The bike storage and children's play area are located within 2nd class coaches.
Good to know info
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How fast does the train travel?
These trains have a theoretical top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph), and these trains can achieve this speed;
- through the Gotthard Base Tunnel
- on the higher speed line between Olten and Bern
Most of the routes that they follow have a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph),
Are seats allocated when booking tickets?
No they are not, you have to proactively add a reservation when booking tickets and doing so incurs an additional cost.
At business hours, particularly in 2nd class, it is not unknown for the number passengers to exceed the quantity of seats.
Though when looking up a journey on the SBB website, it will show by an occupancy indicator - how likely it will be that a specific departure will be busy.
So if 'high demand' is indicated, and you want to be sure of having a seat(s), adding a reservation to a booking is the way to go.
Can specific seats be selected from a seating plan?
When booking a reservation, the only booking options are:
- a seat(s) in the restaurant car;
- a seat(s) on the gangway / aisle
- the family compartment
- no preference.
There a relatively few family compartments on these trains, so if you would want to make use of one during a journey, making this reservation is highly recommended.
Note that it isn't possible to select :
- seats on the lower or upper deck (when available)
- forward facing seats
- seats adjacent to luggage racks
Do Eurail / InterRail / Swiss Travel Pass users need to make reservations?
No they are not mandatory, but are an option (though I have taken more than 20 journeys by Swiss IC trains when travelling with 1st class rail passes, without making reservations and never had a problem with finding available seats).
What catering is available on the train?
These trains all have a restaurant car which is located on the upper deck - and is available on most departures from 6.30am to 9pm to both 1st and 2nd class ticket holders.
The menu is reasonably priced by Swiss standards, so at meat times the service can be popular - hence reserving seats in the restaurant pre-boarding can be a good idea.
If all seats are taken in the restaurant, or if you would prefer to travel in seats outside the restaurant car, most of the items are available as a takeaway service - so in effect the restaurant doubles up as bar-bistro service.
SBB does not offer an at-seat catering service in any part of these IC trains.
Is Wi-Fi available?
SBB does not offer a web portal for on board online connectivity, instead it offers boosted connectivity to local Wifi networks that the train will pass through.
Do the seats have plugs / phone charging?
Yes - the Power Sockets on these trains are compatible with Swiss-style three-point plugs.
Is a Quiet Coach available?
Only when travelling in First Class.
Are wheelchair spaces available?
Yes - the SBB guide to reduced mobility travel.
Can non-folding bicycles be taken on board?
Yes, but when travelling on Friday to Sunday and on summer holiday Mondays. from March 21st to October 31st, spaces must be reserved pre-boarding.
Can dogs be taken on board?
Yes - Small dogs with a height of up to 30cm can travel as hand luggage if they are placed in pet carrier, but if a dog is not in a carrier it requires either a ticket or a dog pass - whatever is cheaper.
IC 2000 travel guide:
When the Swiss national rail operator, SBB, rolled out its comparatively new Twindexx trains, these older IC 200) trains looked tired in comparison, hence a now completed modernisation program, which has created a smart on-board ambience.
Routes:
IC 3: Basel - Zurich - Landquart - Chur (a few departures)
IC 6: Basel - Olten - Bern - Thun - Spiez - Visp - Brig (some departures)
IC 8: Romanshorn - Winterthur - Zurich Flughafen - Zurich HB - Bern - Thun - Spiez - Visp - Brig (all departures)
IC 61: Basel - Olten - Bern - Thun - Spiez - Interlaken West - Interlaken Ost (some departures)
These coaches are also used on some departures on the IR route; Geneve - Lausanne - Montreux - Sion - Visp - Brig
On Board
The enhanced on-board facilities include:
(1) Electronic info screens on board, which give details of the route and list the details of the connecting departures available at the next station, which the train will be calling at.
(2) Power sockets available in 2nd class, as well as 1st class
(3) More wheelchair accessible compartments and toilets
(4) Toilets which have baby changing facilities
(5) A dedicated family car with a play area for young children; indicated by the teddy bear symbol on station info screens
(6) More space for prams/pushchairs/strollers
(7) More bike racks
(8) A business-zone area in 1st class
Travelling on each deck:
All the routes taken by these trains have scenic highlights, so an obvious advantage of being on the upper deck are the better opportunities to make the most of the views.
However, there are less obvious advantages of heading to the upper deck:
- it is easier to move through the train at the upper deck to seek out spare seats
- the restaurant is at the upper level.
The lower deck can feel more spacious as there’s more headroom - and if you have heavy luggage it obviously saves you the effort of heaving it upstairs.
There are luggage racks in the lower and upper deck seating saloons.
The toilets are also located on both decks.
The (WiFi):
Swiss national rail operator SBB does not provide wi-fi on its trains in the conventional sense - meaning that passengers can't log on to a SBB portal for wi-fi.
Instead SBB has equipped its IC trains with signal amplifiers to enable enhanced connectivity with local mobile networks; and on these trains this capability has been enhanced in all coaches.
Catering:
The restaurant car can be popular at meal times, as prices aren't exponentially more expensive compared to standard restaurants.
If you want to have a meal head direct to the restaurant car when boarding and spend the first part of your journey in the car.
Though something to watch out for is that two Twindexx trains can be joined together on many departures and when that is the case, the restaurant can only be available in one part of the train and not the other.
So use the info on the departure screens on the platforms (gleis/voies) which will tell you in which part of the train the restaurant car will be located.
Boarding:
The departure information on the platform (gleis/voie/binaro) at a Swiss station will indicate in which 'Sektor' (zone) the 1st class, 2nd class and restaurant coaches/cars will occupy when the train arrives.
Don’t be surprised if the 'Sektor' (zone) you need is some distance from your entrance point to the gleis/platform/track.
If you haven't reserved, a tip is to head for the respective zones/sektors furthest away from the entrance to the gleis/platform/track.
Fewer people will have headed to the far ends of the train, so you should increase your chances of finding a seat - particularly if there is an option to board towards the front of the train.
Walk through the train if need be.
Few seats are generally reserved on IC trains so finding seats shouldn’t be a problem outside business hours.
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