Curious: In Swiss trains, seats are sometimes still reserved with paper slips

On Swiss railways, travelers sometimes stumble upon little curiosities: For example, on some long-distance trains, seat reservations are still in paper form. It's kind of charming, when you think about it. After all, someone here has taken the trouble to place the slip of paper in the designated box above the seat for you.

But why do these paper notes still exist and on which trains can you find this analogue relic on your next train journey?

In fact, paper tickets are still widely used on Swiss long-distance trains: Around 60 percent of trains rely on the traditional method, while only 40 percent use digital displays, an SBB spokesperson explained to the travel reporter when asked. Incidentally, there are no reservations at all on regional trains.

Modern trains like the Giruno, FV-Dosto, or Astoro, however, display reservations digitally. The Giruno and Astoro operate between Italy and Germany. Seat reservations are mandatory in Italy. In Germany, they are not mandatory , but reservations are used much more frequently than in Switzerland. And there's a reason for that.

"In Switzerland, the culture of seat reservation is not particularly strong. Apart from international traffic, it is mainly trains through the Gotthard Base Tunnel that make use of this option, especially on public holidays and during school holidays," the railway spokesperson continued. For these routes, SBB also recommends making a reservation on days with high demand.

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Anyone who reserves a seat on a long-distance train in Switzerland belongs to a small, exclusive group. Interestingly, the reservation for the journey from Germany to Switzerland is almost automatic. For example, if you book the Super Saver Europe Ticket via the Deutsche Bahn app and choose a seat on an ICE train traveling from Hanover to Basel Bad or directly to Basel SBB, the reservation for the connecting Swiss train, provided it's a long-distance train, is included.

If you're wondering how the notes get to the right place: they're not the little elves from the fairy tale.

The car cleaning staff take care of this. They place the slips in the holders at the departure station, remove them again at the destination station, and proudly hang A4 slips on the windows for group reservations.

It sounds complicated at first, but the SBB spokesperson explains: "Digital seat reservation is easier to use, which is why it is used on trains where reservations are made more frequently."

Digitalization? Perhaps someday, but for now, paper will remain because it's cheaper: "Due to the high costs of retrofitting with digital displays and the low number of reservations in Switzerland, there are currently no plans to upgrade the existing fleet," the railway spokesperson said.

So we are left with a mixture of modernity and nostalgia: In some trains, the digital future flashes, in others a small piece of paper greets us, quietly reminding us that someone has put their hand to this.

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