MySwissAlps.com includes How to exclude “via” locations in the Swiss timetable app
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Obviously if I set a ‘Via’ option to find a scenic route I don’t actually want to go from say Chur to Disentis and then back to Chur to get the train to Zurich in order to go to Thun, for example, if I wanted to route Chur-Brig-Kandersteg-Thun. So do I have to get out the map and segment my journey, which is a real pain if I’m not at home with a big screen and using a tiny pdf on my phone or a falling apart paper map, or is there a way of ruling out the options that the SBB site tries to force? I can do this for some countries, but can’t find a way of doing it for others, including Switzerland.
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Hi PIperClassique,
Currently the SBB Mobile App does not support planning your journey with a stopover. But it is possible to do this on the SBB desktop version using the advance setting.
Regards,
Anna
Thank you. Yes, that I can do, but it won’t allow me to exclude routes so it does stupid things. For instance, if I try to route from Chur to Brig via Disentis, which is a straightforward journey, it will send me Chur-Disentis-Chur-Zurich-Brig. I think you will agree that is not very helpful.
I need to be able to put in a route excluding places, and the only place I have found where I can do this is Fastjp, which only works in the UK. So it is obviously possible.
Maybe it is all a deep plot to get people paying for the panoramic “express” trains? Yes, I am joking but on a complex network it means I am constantly having to refer to a rail map, and separating journeys into several sections to get the route I want. Yes, I am a train nerd. It’s a pity, because the other features on the SBB planner such as the detailed station maps and route maps are excellent, and I think found nowhere else as a simple link from the route details.
Hi PiperClassique,
I know what you mean. The SBB App is limited in that sense. It shows you the fastest route but won’t let you deselect destinations or the stopovers. In this case I think it is best to look up a rail network map and plan each route separately.
So for example if you wish to travel from Chur to Brig via Disentis and then continue to Kandersteg and Thun, then you’d have to look up the connection for each route separately: Chur to Disentis, Disentis to Brig, Brig to Kandersteg and Kandersteg to Thun.Anna
Indeed, the timetable can get you some pretty weird options 🙂 I use Anna’s method if I have planned stops en route. If I don’t want stops but just force a particular route, I fill out multiple via-stops, and it will usually do pretty well. There is a maximum though, but for most of my trips I was able to fill out sufficient via-stops to do the trick.
Thank you Anna, this is what I am currently doing. I had hoped somebody had a better way, as it is certainly possible, as manifested by Fastjp. Never mind. I will continue to spend more time than I want planning. That’s fine when I am at home but more difficult when I am actually travelling.
Didn’t the multiple via-stops work for you PiperClassique? It works for me; please see attached. But perhaps I misunderstood what you’re looking for.
Attachments:
You will find that all electronic journey planners, (not just the SBB one!) sometimes give you weird or even totally impractical options.
When planning trips (anywhere in Europe) I always consult a map before selecting my route. I will then (usually) follow the approach set out by Anna in her reply number three and by Arno in his second sentence. That is is to research each stage of the journey separately. That is what I anyway always had to do in the days before electronic timetables and journey planners! (Even today, I sometimes consult the paper European Rail Timetable.)
I also sometimes follow the approach Arno describes in his last two sentences. The key point is to carefully select your ‘via’ places. For that you need a map!
Kind regards
Roger
Oh, it works. But I have to use a map, and that means either a tablet or a paper map. Which is extra weight and the maps fall apart or the tablet runs out of battery and the phone screen is too small. Yes, I have a paper timetable and I use it. But I don’t take it with me. I travel with a maximum 6kg bag and a small front pack for my phone and passport. I don’t want to be rude but so far nobody has actually answered the question I asked, so here it is again. Is there an app ( or website) used for train planning purposes that will allow me to EXCLUDE stations. I.e. NOT VIA.
No, I have never heard of an app or website for Switzerland that allows you to exclude stops. I would like that, but I use the workaround of multiple via-stops.
My guess is that few people apart from us want this, because the functionality is hidden in the software of the travel planner somewhere: if a route is closed for maintenance, it will automatically suggest detours.
Thanks all of you. I suppose planners are really intended for people who don’t travel so much and just want to get where they are going as quickly and cheaply as possible. Now all I need is a paper map that doesn’t fall apart once it has been folded twice. Happy travels to all
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