European Railroad Discussion > Zurich Hauptbahnhof live webcam

A webcam looking at the approach tracks for Zurich's main train station has gone on line.  The volume of trains through this station is amazing.  Even at midnight, their time, commuter trains, intercity trains, etc are in view. Sometimes 4-5 at a time. At 6 am, commuter trains are rolling into the station.

At the conclusion of their rush hour, late morning in the eastern US, it's not unusual to see 8 trains in motion, and a rescue electric motor in the foreground.

Lots of activity

And here's the link:

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/schweiz/canton-zurigo/zurich/train-station.html

Thanks for the link, I have added it to my European webcam folder.

Sharon Evans
Glen Allen, VA

Is the station to the right or left on the screen?  I presume the station is stub ended vs run through...
jb

The station is on the left in the picture. You will note there are two tunnels which carry 4 tracks underground and into the lower level of the station. These are run through tracks. The main level is all stub tracks-  I'll be taking a RailJet from Zurich to Villach, Austria in early October.

mexrail


 

As Mexrail notes, the station is divided into 3 parts. I have spent many an hour watching Swiss cab ride videos and have been into and out of Zurich on a number of occasions when watching. The two underground stations, the one closest to the viewer and one furthest away are only visible on this approach since both exit the other side in tunnels. If memory serves, the one closest to the viewer, leads out to the airport and other destinations which the one furtherest away heads around and past the end of Lake Zurich and onwards. 

Sharon Evans
Glen Allen, VA

This camera is amazing!
After watching for a while and jumping around witht he timetable to watch particular trains, I was very surprised to see a freight train coming out of the station (on the left) on one of the tracks coming up from the lower level, to the bottom of the screen, near Zollstrasse. I looked at maps and diagrams of the station and the sorrounding areas and I can't figure out where that train came from. Always thought all the tracks ended in the station, but there must be a track that goes through the station. Does anyone know if that track comes along the Limmat or does it go under that river?
Thanks in advance for any information.

egozinc, all the track which head underground are through tracks, only the ones in the middle are stub end.

Sharon Evans
Glen Allen, VA

At 1 in the morning it is busier than any American station at 8 in the morning...

Zürich Hauptbahnhof has four sections, three of them are underground. From North to South they are Musseumstrasse platforms (Museum street) two Island platforms with four platform faces and tracks, this feeds the Hirschengraben Tunnel leading to Zürich Stadelhofen which is SE of the Hbf and along the North shore of Lake Zurich where it splits with one track leading to stations along the north shore of the lake, and a second double track tunnel leading to the NE towards Winterthur and the old main airport at Dubendorf. The next section is the main ground level station with 16 tracks and platform faces in a terminal station. Next to the south is the Lowenstrasse station (Lion street), again underground with four tracks and platform faces with a double track line on either end. The east end feeds into Weinberg Tunnel which ducks under the tunnel from the Museumstrasse in a long lazy "S" curve to the north and ends just south of Zurich Oerlikon trains on this route can be travelling to the new Zurich airport at Kloten, Schaffhausen, Germany, or Winterthur. The southernmost station is the two track underground station of the Sihltal, Zurich, Uetliberg Bahn.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/22 20:47 by SOO6617.

Thanks! I imagined there were tunnels, but looked near the station and could not find any. This clarifies it all.

Lackawanna 484:

Thanks for posting this station and the never-ending stream of trains!

A couple of questions:
Are the platforms long enough to accommodate the 14 car trains in one stop?
Are there any trains that enter from the left to a stub end?
Frank30 (Boston)

Glad you like it.

I don't believe there's any train access to the other side of the upper level. When you walk down the platform you face shops, a beer hall, etc past the end of track.

There is a tram loop outside the upper level.

Posted from Android

Frank30 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A couple of questions:
> Are the platforms long enough to accommodate the
> 14 car trains in one stop?
> Are there any trains that enter from the left to a
> stub end?
> Frank30 (Boston)

Yes to both questions. 

One is amazingly (for an American) free to take pictures and to hand out on the platform watching trains. A German friend and I spent the morning of February 13 2009 at the end of platform 17. At one point, I just kept the camera recording as long as I could see a train. The result was - search the Tube You can post on for Five Minutes Ten Trains. The quality isn't very good for 2022, but in 2009, my Canon SX10 IS was the latest thing in an easy to pack camera that could do video. It also wasn't bad for five minutes handheld.

TAW

like clockwork