Train arrival and departure in Zurich and Bern

As common in the other railway networks, trains run periodically. For a simple change between trains, trains are scheduled in a concept borrowed from the music, the concept of metre (German: Takt). The main stations of Zurich and Bern are typical muster of this concept. There are two climaxes a hour, one at full hour, the other at half hour. Main line trains arrive at the stations short before and leave them short after so that the passenger can change between the trains. Since there are many trains arriving and leaving in these climaxes, they go after each other in short time distance (some minutes).

In Zurich:

• Full hour arrivals
  1. From West
     • xx:51 IR from Basel through Brugg AG, stops at Zurich Altstetten and Zurich Oerlikon without Zurich main station and goes to Zurich Airport (arrival time in Zurich Oerlikon)
     • xx:52 IR from Basel through Lenzburg
     • xx:54 IR from Bern through Brugg AG
     • xx:56 ICN from Biel
     • xx:58 IC from Bern
     • xx:00 IC from Basel
     • xx:02 IR from Bern through Burgdorf (the late-comer)
  2. From North and East
     • xx:48 IR from Schaffhausen
     • xx:51 IC from Romanshorn
     • xx:53 ICN from St. Gallen
     • xx:59 IR from Zurich Airport
  3. From South
     • xx:47 IR from Chur
     • xx:51 IC/IR from Bellinzona
     • xx:56 IR from Lucerne
• Full hour departures
  1. To West
     • xx:58 IR to Bern through Burgdorf
     • xx:00 IC to Bern
     • xx:02 IC to Basel
     • xx:04 ICN to Biel
     • xx:06 IR to Bern through Brugg AG
     • xx:08 IR to Basel through Lenzburg
     • xx:09 IR to Basel through Brugg AG from Zurich Airport, stops at Zurich Oerlikon, Zurich Altstetten without Zurich main station (departure time at Zurich Oerlikon).
  2. To North and East
     • xx:01 IR to Zurich Airport
     • xx:07 IC to Romanshorn
     • xx:09 ICN to St. Gallen
     • xx:12 IR to Schaffhausen
  3. To South
     • xx:04 IR to Lucerne
     • xx:09 IC/IR to Bellinzona
     • xx:12 IR to Chur
• Half hour arrivals
  1. From West
     • xx:22 RE from Aarau through Lenzburg
     • xx:24 IR from Basel through Brugg AG
     • xx:26 IC from Basel
     • xx:28 IC from Bern
     • xx:30 IR from Biel
  2. From North and East
     • xx:21 IR from Constance
     • xx:23 IC from St. Gallen
  3. From South
     • xx:23 IC from Chur
     • xx:25 IR from Lucerne
• Half hour departures
  1. To West
     • xx:30 IR to Biel
     • xx:32 IC to Bern
     • xx:34 IC to Basel
     • xx:36 IR to Basel through Brugg AG
     • xx:38 RE to Aarau through Lenzburg
  2. To North and East
     • xx:37 IR to Constance
     • xx:39 IC to St. Gallen
  3. To South
     • xx:35 IR to Lucerne
     • xx:37 IC to Chur

In Bern:

• Full hour arrivals
  1. From North and East
     • xx:48 IR from Biel
     • xx:53 IR from Olten through Burgdorf
     • xx:56 IC from Basel
     • xx:57 IC from Zurich
     • xx:00 IR from Lucerne
  2. From South
     • xx:52 IC from Interlaken
     • xx:54 IC from Brig
  3. From West
     • xx:56 IR from Geneva through Lausanne and Fribourg
• Full hour departures
  1. To North and East
     • xx:00 IR to Lucerne
     • xx:02 IC to Zurich
     • xx:04 IC to Basel
     • xx:07 IR to Olten through Burgdorf
     • xx:12 IR to Biel
  2. To South
     • xx:04 IC to Interlaken
     • xx:07 IC to Brig
  3. To West
     • xx:04 IR to Geneva through Fribourg and Lausanne
• Half hour arrivals
  1. From North and East
     • xx:18 IR from Biel
     • xx:21 IR from Zurich through Burgdorf
     • xx:25 IR from Zurich through Brugg AG
     • xx:27 IC from Basel
     • xx:29 IC from Zurich
  2. From South
     • xx:23 IC from Interlaken or Brig
     • xx:26 RE from Lucerne through Langnau
  3. From West
     • xx:26 IC from Geneva through Lausanne and Fribourg
• Half hour departures
  1. To North and East
     • xx:32 IC to Zurich
     • xx:34 IC to Basel
     • xx:36 IR to Zurich through Brugg AG
     • xx:38 IR to Zurich through Burgdorf
     • xx:42 IR to Biel
  2. To South
     • xx:35 IC to Interlaken or Brig
     • xx:37 RE to Lucerne through Langnau
  3. To West
     • xx:34 IC to Geneva through Fribourg and Lausanne

Some comments:

• In Zurich at full hours IC from and to Bern go before IC from and to Basel.
• In Zurich at full hours and half hours trains from and to Romanshorn/Constance go before trains from and to St. Gallen.
• In Bern at full hours IC from and to Interlaken go before IC from Brig.
• In Bern at half hours IC from and to Interlaken/Brig go before RE from and to Lucerne.
• Otherwise the order of the arrivals and the order of the departures are symmetric to each other (last in first out).
• When at a particular hour the orders have some exchanges from these, some trains must have had delay.