Google Maps: From Zurich to St. Gallen in 8 hours
Anyone searching for their public transport connection in Google Maps since the timetable change will be amazed: only buses, trams and international trains are displayed. Swiss trains are missing. According to Google, your journey home would take forever today.
When I wanted to get from Zurich's Kreis drei district to the main station yesterday evening and looked at the connection in Google Maps, I wondered why the journey was suddenly taking so long. I stopped thinking about it and took the next tram. Today I'm smarter: Google Maps obviously hasn't managed to adopt the new SBB timetable.
Since the change on 15 December, either no public transport connection or an absurdly cumbersome route is displayed. At the moment, only buses, trams and sometimes international trains are available in the app as questionable alternatives. Regional trains, intercity trains and regional express trains are no longer visible.
It is not yet known how long the problem will persist.
The route by public transport now takes all day
Despite the missing trains, the app continues to calculate routes, but with absurd detours. It now takes eight hours from Zurich to St. Gallen and you have to change trains around seven times. To Winterthur, you now need at least two hours instead of twenty minutes. Longer connections are no longer displayed at all.
For example, if I want to go to Thurgau, there's no longer a route for me with the app. I would have to take the car or walk. If you search for the route from Zurich to Bern, several connections with international trains are suggested.
SBB and Google confirm problem
According to enquiries from 20 Minuten, SBB and Google are aware of the problem. SBB spokesperson Raffael Hirt confirms that there was apparently an error when transferring the data. Whether the problem lies with Google or SBB is still being clarified. According to 20 Minuten, Google has also announced that the case is being investigated internally.
The TCS app, Quick-ÖV and the SBB app itself have no problems with the timetable change. So you can still get home on time and without detours with public transport connections. <p
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.