Ticket price rises and timetable changes announced for Zurich trams

Zurich tram timetables are set to change and ticket prices will rise from December 14, 2025. The Zurich Transport Company (VBZ) said it is the “biggest timetable change in the history of VBZ”. Here’s what you need to know.

7 tram lines will change in Zurich from December 2025

As part of a major update to public transport in Switzerland’s biggest city, VBZ announced a number of changes and upcoming construction work that will impact how people get around.

Seven tram lines in the centre of Zurich will change route from December 14, 2025. The changes are part of the new Southern tram network and will “benefit the entire city”, said City Councillor Michael Baumer in a VBZ press release. 

The major upcoming changes to Zurich’s tram lines are:

• Line 2 will remain the same until Bellevue. From Bellevue, it will stop at Bahnhof Stafelhofen, Kreuzplatz, Englischviertelstrasse, Römerhof, Hölderlinstrasse and Klusplatz (previously the route of line 8).
• Line 4 will no longer run to Tiefenbrunnen station. The route will go from Bahhofstrasse/HB to Central, then follow the previous line 11 route to Bellevue, Kreuzplatz, Balgrist and Rehalp. 
• Line 5 will no longer run to Rentenstalt and the zoo. The route will run from Laubegg to Enge/Bederstrasse Bahnhof, Paradeplatz, Bürkliplatz, Bellevue and Stadelhofen Bahnhof. From December 2026, it will be extended to Albisgütli and Rehalp. The line will not run after 9pm or on Sundays.
• Line 8 will run from Hardturm to Bahnhof Selnau as before. From Bahnhof Selnau it runs to Tunnelstrasse, Bahnhof Enge, Rentenanstalt, Bürkliplatz, Bellevue, Kunsthaus, Kirche Fluntern and Zoo. 
• Line 11 will operate the previous route of lines 2 and 4 from Bellevue. It will run from Bahnhofstrasse/HB to Paradeplatz, Bellevue and on to Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen.
• Line 15 will be extended to Tiefenbrunnen station, running from Bahnhofstrasse/HB to Central, Bellevue, Opernhaus, Feldeggstrasse and on to Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen.
• Line 17 will run from Werdhölzli via Bahnhofquai, Sihlquai/HB, Stampfenbachplatz, Schaffhauserplatz and Bucheggplatz.

Construction at Bahnhofquai to interrupt travel in Zurich

To add another layer of complication, construction work will take place at Bahnhofquai until December 2026 and will impact some tram lines.

Tram line 4 will change at Bahnhofstrasse to line 13, and line 6 will change at Bahnhofplatz to line 14. Lastly, line 11 will change at Bahnhofstrasse to line 15. 

Two temporary tram lines, 50 and 51, will run north of Bahnhofquai/HB, which will be inaccessible by tram until December 2026. 

Tram line 50 will run from Frankental via Escher-Wyss-Platz, Sihlquai/HB, Stamfenbachplatz, Schauffhauserplatz, Bucheggplatz, Oerlikon Bahnhof and Auzelg. Line 51 will operate from Altstetten Nord Bahnhof via Escher-Wyss-Platz, Sihlquai/HB, Stampfenbachplatz, Schauffhauserplatz, Milchbuch, Oerlikon Ost Bahnhof and Seebach.

ZVV ticket prices will increase by 2,1 percent from December

While Zurich tram passengers get their heads around how to navigate the city among all the construction work and tram line changes, travellers can also expect to pay more for tickets from December 2025.

The Zurich Transport Association (ZVV) has announced that ticket prices in Zurich will rise by 2,1 percent, on average. The price adjustment is “to reflect accumulated inflation” and is "necessary to maintain the cost recovery rate of public transport in the canton of Zurich above 60 percent”, according to the ZVV press release.

The last time public transport ticket prices rose in Zurich was in December 2023. Prices rose by 3,4 percent, which was “below the national average”, continues the ZVV statement. The ZVV 2025-2029 strategy details that the cost recovery rate of public transport, i.e. how much the company’s expenses are paid back through ticket fares, has to be maintained at over 60 percent - hence the increase in ticket prices.

For more information and details, the VBZ website provides an interactive map of the new tram lines and a route planner.