About this journey

The journey begins at Aarau WSB, the metre-gauge station tucked on the southern side of the main SBB station yard, where Aargau Verkehr AG operates its own building and two platforms across three tracks — a compact but distinct terminus quite separate from the standard-gauge infrastructure that has served Aarau since 1856.

The train is an AVA ABe 4/12 SAPHIR I built by Stadler, running on 1,000 mm gauge track — a specification that sets the Schöftland–Aarau–Menziken line apart from the Swiss Federal Railways main line beside which it departs. The line was originally built by the Wynentalbahn, and today Aargau Verkehr AG operates it as Aargau S-Bahn service S14, running every fifteen minutes between Menziken and Schöftland via Aarau.

The route heads south through the canton of Aargau, concluding at Menziken, the eastern terminus of the line. The contrast across the journey is one of scale: from a shared main-station environment where metre-gauge and standard-gauge infrastructure sit side by side, to the quieter surroundings of a dedicated regional terminus at Menziken.