Switzerland Rail Service Tracker
Track Swiss station departures or arrivals with live public data, platform and delay checks, route-stop detail, auto-refresh, and exports.Rail Snapshot
Tracking status
| # | Service | Destination | {{ boardLabel === 'Arrivals' ? 'Arrives' : 'Departs' }} | Expected | Platform | Delay | Select | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{ idx + 1 }} |
{{ svc.name }}
{{ svc.operator }}
|
{{ svc.destination || '—' }}
{{ svc.directionText }}
|
{{ svc.plannedLabel }} | {{ svc.expectedLabel }} | {{ svc.platform || '—' }} | {{ svc.delayLabel }} |
| # | Stop | Arrives | Departs | Platform | Delay | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No service selected
Select a station-board row to build the route stop ledger.
|
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|
No route stop rows returned
The selected service did not include pass-list stops in this station-board response.
|
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| {{ idx + 1 }} |
{{ stop.name }}
{{ stop.status }}
|
{{ stop.arrivalLabel }} | {{ stop.departureLabel }} | {{ stop.platform || '—' }} | {{ stop.delayLabel }} | |
Swiss station boards are short-term operating views, not full trip plans. They show what is expected to depart from or arrive at one stop around a chosen time, then mix planned timetable values with real-time prognosis where the feed has those fields. Reading a board well means comparing the published time, expected time, platform, service label, destination, and any cancellation or status clues before acting on a connection or pickup plan.
A board check is narrower than a journey planner, which is why it is useful at busy hubs such as Zurich HB, Bern, Basel SBB, Lausanne, and Geneva Airport. A broad route search can hide the immediate platform problem, while a station board keeps the local checkpoint visible. The row that matters is usually the one whose station, direction, service label, destination text, time window, and platform match what a traveler can verify on the ground.
Some railway terms are easy to overread under time pressure. A destination is usually the advertised final stop, not a complete list of stops. A platform can be planned or updated by prognosis, so it should be checked again close to departure. An On time label can mean the expected time matches the plan, but it can also appear when no usable prognosis timestamp is available for that checkpoint.
| Term | Meaning on a station board | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Planned time | The scheduled arrival or departure time for the station checkpoint. | Treating it as the current operating estimate during a disruption. |
| Expected time | The prognosis time when real-time data is available for that checkpoint. | Assuming a blank prognosis means no disruption has occurred. |
| Service label | The displayed train family or service number, such as IC8, IR15, or S2. | Matching only the destination when several services share a final stop. |
| Route stops | Intermediate stop rows returned with the selected service when the feed includes them. | Assuming an empty stop list means the station-board row is invalid. |
Good station-board reading does not end with the delay number. Six minutes late may be harmless when the next train leaves from the same platform after a long wait, while one minute can matter when the next platform is far away. For pickups, arrival time and platform clues usually matter more than the advertised destination. During disruption, cancellation and platform updates are operational warnings, not just timing differences.
The safest use of a live public board is short-term situational awareness. It helps narrow the services worth watching, but it does not replace station displays, operator announcements, ticket conditions, staff instructions, or guaranteed-connection rules.
How to Use This Tool:
Enter the Swiss stop you want to monitor, choose the board direction, and fetch the current public station board. If an example board has already loaded, replace the station and filters with your own trip details before relying on the result.
- Use Station for the stop name. Official names and common short forms such as Zurich HB, Bern, Basel SBB, Lausanne, or Geneva Airport are the best starting points.
- Choose Departures when you are catching a service, or Arrivals when you are meeting one.
- Select Fetch board. If the lookup fails, try a shorter station name and remove words such as station, Bahnhof, or Hauptbahnhof.
- Open Advanced when the board is too broad. Destination filter narrows by destination text, and Service or line narrows labels such as IC8, IR15, or S2.
- Adjust Lookahead window, Result limit, and Anchor offset for a smaller board, a future check, or a recent earlier board.
- Leave Rail only on for train-focused checks. Turn it off when trams, buses, or ships at the same stop are relevant.
- Select a station-board row to fill the route stop table and delay chart for that service when stop-level details are available.
Use auto-refresh only while actively watching a service. Repeated refreshes send repeated board requests to the public data provider, so a conservative interval is better than constant polling.
Interpreting Results:
The summary highlights the selected service, destination, platform, delay label, direction, and operator when those fields are returned. The Station Board table is the primary checkpoint: compare the planned departure or arrival with Expected, then read the platform and destination beside the delay badge.
On time means the planned and expected times currently match, or that no usable prognosis time was returned. Positive delays mean the expected time is later than planned. Negative delays mean the expected time is earlier, which is unusual enough that station displays should be checked before changing a plan.
The Route Stop Ledger is useful only after you select a service. It lists returned stops, arrival or departure times, platforms, and delay labels. The Rail Delay Profile turns those stop-level delay values into a chart, which helps when a delay grows, shrinks, or changes sign along the route.
- Cancelled: treat the row as an operations alert and confirm through normal passenger channels.
- Missing route stops: the selected service did not include pass-list rows in the returned board data.
- Blank platform: the public feed did not return a platform for that row, or the station has not published one yet.
- Exports: copy or download the board, route rows, chart image, chart data, or JSON snapshot when you need a record of the current feed state.
Technical Details:
Swiss station-board data starts with a location match and then a board lookup for a stop, time, direction, and transport selection. A station identifier is preferred when the search returns one, because similar place names can otherwise point to an address, point of interest, or nearby stop with a different board.
Departure and arrival boards use different checkpoint times. A departure board compares the planned departure with the departure prognosis. An arrival board compares the planned arrival with the arrival prognosis. Displayed times use Europe/Zurich, which keeps daylight-saving changes aligned with Swiss station-board use.
Delay is a checkpoint comparison rather than a whole-journey guarantee. A route can recover time after one stop or lose more time before the next. Platform changes and cancellations are operational fields that can matter more than the numeric delay, especially when a connection depends on walking time or a specific platform side.
Formula Core
The delay badge uses the rounded minute difference between the expected time and the planned time for the relevant checkpoint.
Here d is delay in minutes, texpected is the prognosis timestamp, and tplanned is the scheduled timestamp. The divisor converts milliseconds to minutes. A planned departure at 18:10 with an expected departure at 18:17 gives round((7 minutes) / 1 minute) = +7 minutes. If the expected timestamp is missing, the displayed expected time falls back to the planned time and the delay resolves to 0 minutes.
Rule Core
| Area | Rule | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Time window | Services are kept from 30 minutes before the anchor through the selected lookahead horizon. | Recently passed rows can still appear, while far-future rows are removed. |
| Lookahead | Accepted values are clamped from 10 to 360 minutes. | Very wide boards are prevented from overwhelming the result table. |
| Result limit | Displayed rows are capped from 5 to 40 after filtering and sorting. | Busy stations stay readable even when the public feed returns many same-time services. |
| Anchor offset | The anchor may move from 720 minutes in the past to 720 minutes in the future. | You can inspect an earlier board or stage a later check without changing the station. |
| Auto-refresh | Refresh interval is clamped from 15 to 300 seconds. | The board can update while open without sending excessive rapid requests. |
| Condition | Label | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation flag returned | Cancelled | Operational state overrides the ordinary minute calculation. |
| Delay equals 0 minutes | On time | Expected time matches planned time, or no prognosis timestamp was available. |
| Delay is greater than 0 and up to 5 minutes | +n min | Small late running. |
| Delay is greater than 5 minutes | +n min | Larger late running that deserves closer connection checks. |
| Delay is less than 0 minutes | -n min | Earlier-than-planned prognosis; verify before relying on it. |
Accuracy and Privacy Notes:
The board depends on public Swiss transport data and the prognosis fields available for each service. Real-time and forecast coverage can vary by transport company, route, operating day, and disruption state. A missing prognosis, blank platform, or empty pass-list can reflect source coverage rather than a problem with the selected station.
The station name, destination text, service filter, board direction, timing window, and transport mode choice are sent to the public data provider so it can return matching rows. The page does not ask for account credentials. After the board is returned, filtering, selection, charting, copying, and downloads are handled from the returned data in the browser.
- Refresh close to the actual departure or arrival when timing matters.
- Check station displays and operator notices for platform changes, cancellations, disruption handling, and guaranteed connections.
- Avoid sharing JSON exports if the station, route, or timestamp would reveal travel plans you prefer to keep private.
- Use auto-refresh sparingly because public data services can limit or slow repeated requests.
Worked Examples:
Catching an intercity departure
Set Station to Zurich HB, keep Departures selected, and use Service or line for a known label such as IC8. Fetch the board, then compare Departs, Expected, Platform, and Delay. If the service is selected, check the route stop table for downstream delays before judging a connection.
Meeting an arriving passenger
Set the station to Geneva Airport and switch the board to Arrivals. The arrival row matters more than the outbound destination, so read Arrives, Expected, and Platform together. If the expected arrival changes, use auto-refresh at a modest interval only while you are actively waiting.
Route stops are not returned
If the route table reports no stop rows, the selected station-board service did not include a pass-list in the returned data. The station-board row can still be useful for the local checkpoint, but use another passenger channel when you need the full intermediate route.
FAQ:
Why did the station lookup fail?
The search may have matched a place that is not a usable stop, or the wording may be too specific. Try a shorter official stop name such as Zurich HB, Bern, Basel SBB, or Lausanne.
Does On time always mean the train is definitely on time?
No. It means the planned and expected timestamps currently match, or that no expected timestamp was returned. For close connections, refresh again near departure and compare with station displays.
Why are trams or buses missing?
The Rail only switch removes non-rail modes. Turn it off when returned trams, buses, or ships at the stop are relevant to your check.
Why is the delay chart empty?
Select a service first. The chart needs route stop rows for the selected service; some station-board responses include only the local station row.
What time zone are the board times in?
Times are displayed in Europe/Zurich, matching Swiss local station-board use.
Can the result prove that a connection is protected?
No. The board can show timing, platform, cancellation, and route-stop clues, but guaranteed-connection handling depends on operator rules and real-time disruption decisions.
Glossary:
- Station board
- A list of services departing from or arriving at one stop around a selected time.
- Planned time
- The scheduled checkpoint time returned for the selected station row.
- Expected time
- The prognosis time when the public feed returns one, otherwise the planned time shown for comparison.
- Delay minutes
- The rounded minute difference between expected and planned time.
- Pass-list stops
- Stop-level route rows returned with a service when available.
- Anchor offset
- A minute shift from the current time used to inspect an earlier or later board.
References:
- Swiss public transport API documentation, transport.opendata.ch.
- Real-time and forecast data overview, Open data platform mobility Switzerland.