From Monday 11 November 2019, there will be a temporary closure of platforms 12 and 13 which is expected to last until spring 2021. The platforms will be closed alternately. The stopping points of trains departing from these two platforms will therefore change, and about half of the platform will remain available. The alterations will only involve rescheduling trains between platforms 12 and 13, meaning that the trains will depart from the platform immediately opposite. The reason for the closure is the construction of a new pedestrian underpass in Bern railway station and the raising of platforms 12/13 to facilitate boarding and alighting from trains (see zukunftbahnhofbern.chLink opens in new window.). The online timetable will always be kept up-to-date.

Access to platforms 12/13 will also be restricted:

• 27 January to 2 November 2020: the stairs linking the Welle bridge and the platform in sector D will be closed during this time. Passengers can use the lift or the other stairs.
• 15 June to 31 July 2020: the lift between the platform and the Welle bridge will not be operating. Passengers who would like to take the lift between the Welle bridge and platforms 12/13 will need to make a detour: use the lift to platforms 9/10, continue along platforms 9/10 to the underpass and along the ramp to platforms 12/13.
• 20 July to 31 July 2020: The stairs next to the ramp in sector B will be out of use. The stairs in sector A or the ramp in sector B must be used to get between the pedestrian underpass and the platform.
• 10 August to 25 September 2020: the ramp between the underpass and platforms 12/13 will be closed. Passengers can use the stairs in sector A or B. A detour is necessary for passengers requiring accessible travel during this time. The detour goes via platforms 9/10 and the lift at the Welle bridge.
• 18 October to 2 November 2020: the stairs between the underpass and the platform in sector A will be closed. Passengers can use the other stairs or the ramp between the underpass and the platform.

Since 4 November 2019, the IR Biel/Bienne–Lyss–Bern has been travelling to the new track 49 and the RE La Chaux-de-Fonds–Neuchâtel–Bern has been arriving on the new track 50. Please allow more time to access trains on the new tracks, as they are several hundred metres away from the “Welle” overpass. The RE Bern–Neuchâtel–La Chaux-de-Fonds departs from track 5 from Monday to Friday and from track 6 on Saturday and Sunday. It only arrives on track 50.

The new tracks are located directly behind tracks 9 and 10 (west side) and can be accessed barrier-free from the platform for track 9/10 as well as from the Welle. Directions to the new tracks are provided by signs and signposts on all levels of the railway station. Directions are also provided in the SBB app ‘My station’.

Access is wheelchair accessible, both from the Welle and directly via platform 9/10. The entire track 49/50 platform extension is barrier-free with tactile lines, stair markings, a lift and loudspeakers. Customer guides and the agency in stations providing assistance to passengers are also available for travellers with reduced mobility.

SBB has extended the platform for track 9/10 by 385 metres to the west (platform 49/50) to enable it to maintain operations during the expansion of Bern railway station and other construction work in the Bern region. The extended platform also results in longer paths within the railway station for some travellers. However, the alternative would have been a massively reduced timetable lasting several years.

For travellers changing to or arriving on a bus or tram, SBB generally recommends using the nearby stops ‘Schanzenstrasse’, ‘Obergericht’ and ‘Hirschengraben’. These are nearer to track 49/50 than the stops on the station forecourt.

SBB has been renewing the Sense viaduct since the beginning of the year. In order to be able to carry out the main work and at the same time numerous other construction projects quickly and safely, SBB is closing the Berne-Fribourg/Freiburg line to train traffic from 25 July to 14 August. There is a substitute concept for travellers.

Until Bern station re-emerges, expanded and shining with new splendour, there will unfortunately be plenty of noise, dust and construction site barriers around. Maintenance work on the tracks, the platforms and platform canopies, as well as in the underpass will now also be an everyday occurrence. SBB maintains one of the busiest track networks in the world. Such intensive use means that the network also needs to be maintained.

This work may affect track occupation.

Some construction work will also take up platform space, further limiting the space available. Passengers are therefore requested to spread out as much as possible along the entire length of the platform while waiting and to use all available space within the white safety lines. This will help to make conditions on the platforms more relaxed. Furthermore, the better the passengers are distributed between the various passenger coaches when boarding and alighting, the more punctual departure will be.

Thank you for your consideration, understanding and cooperation.

Bern station is being expanded so it can continue to accommodate the rapidly growing numbers of passengers and serve as a transport hub for all modes of transport in the future. Bern is the second-largest railway station in Switzerland and plays a key role in both domestic and international rail traffic. It is starting to reach its limits in terms of operational and physical capacity.

As part of the future Bern station, SBB and RBS will be working on two large projects:

• A new RBS station beneath the existing platforms 2 to 7.
• The new SBB “Mitte” underpass, accessible from Länggasse and Bubenbergplatz.
• The City of Bern plans to reorganise the traffic arrangements around the station in conjunction with the expansion work and create improvements in tram and bus services as well as for pedestrians and cyclists