Point to Point Tickets - Specific to specific trains??

Sbainb47

I purchased two Point-to-point 1st class Tickets from Chur St.Moritz and deliberately selected a specific train/time but my actual tickets look like Flex Tickets - open to travel on any train that day. What guarantees do I have that there is availability on the specific train I need to take (that I selected and booked)?

Danhiel

Hello Sbainb47

In Switzerland it is impossible to predict the number of passengers travelling with a specific train because most people have point-to-point tickets, passes, travelcards, and reservations are not mandatory (except for some panoramic trains). A ticket doesn’t give you a guarantee to find a seat, in worst case you must stand, but it is rare, except if you travel in peak times. You can find more information here:

https://community.sbb-tickets.cc/blog/23887-demystifying-seat-reservations-on-swiss-trains-a-comprehensive-guide

Kind regards
Danhiel

Krist

Sbainb47 … but my actual tickets look like Flex Tickets
That is because that is what they are. A “point to point” ticket is for a route, not a train.

So even though you start the purchase process with selecting a train from a schedule the ticket you get is not for that train. It is for the route that train travels, and you are free to take any other train on that route at your own discretion.

That is pretty much how train tickets work everywhere in Europe, except for long distance trains in some countries. In Switzerland trains are mass transit, and people expect to just get on a train when they are ready to travel, without fuss or procedures.