This odd routing turned out to be highly efficient and travel costs were supported by my Swiss GA from Villeneuve to Basel SBB and Basel Bad station over the border in Germany. Renens has become a new rail hub where you change trains, instead of changing in Lausanne's crowded train station. This idea was a stroke of genius and it has really eased passenger congestion in the Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) area. The rest of the journey to Basel was uneventful and I enjoyed the surprisingly comfortable 2nd class carriages of the Swiss train company SBB.



At Basel SBB station free drinks were being offered, due to the hot weather (and marketing, for the drinks company)


The train ride to Duisburg was operated with a Swiss SBB train

In Basel I had time for my usual peregrinations, including lunch at the Persian food stall inside the Markthalle. I boarded the EC6 to Köln Hbf (Cologne station) and the journey went surprisingly well, given the huge amount of chaos that currently reigns at DB Deutsche Bahn (German rail). This stretch was operated by a Swiss SBB train and, being in 1st class, I felt that the seats were more comfortable than those of Deutsche Bahn (whereas Deutsche Bahn is more comfortable in 2nd class than SBB). After leaving Cologne main station things rapidly went downhill. What turned out to be the beginning of a series of arson attacks on the tracks between Dusseldorf and Duisburg meant that I reached Duisburg main station over 3 hours later than planned. It was a major pain and the S-Bahn to Mülheim Ruhr(Styrum) was also suspended. So I had to get a replacement bus service I thought would never appear from Duisburg to Alstaden in Oberhausen, making it there just before midnight.



1st class seating on Swiss SBB trains is more comfortable than that on Deutsche Bahn trains


Schützengarten is a beer brewed in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and it is one of the best beers that exist now

01.07.25