Zürich Altstetten railway station

The first station on the site was built by the Swiss Northern Railway in 1847, as part of their pioneering line from Zurich to Baden, and hence was one of the first railway stations in Switzerland. Over time, this line became today's Zürich to Olten main line and the principal rail route between Zürich and northern and western Switzerland. The Zürich to Zug via Affoltern am Albis line opened in 1864, making Altstetten into a junction station. In 1907, the Swiss Federal Railways, who had taken over both lines, opened a workshop near the station.[5]

The station has one side platform and two island platforms, served by five tracks, and has station buildings and entrances on both the north and south sides of the station. The platforms and entrances are connected by a pair of pedestrian subways.[6]

The track 1 is built very close to the station building, in pedestrian area, as a light rail track (embedded into pavement). It is not used during normal operations. The numbers of tracks actually in use start from 2. The track 5 has no platform. It is only used for the passing trains that do not stop at this station.

For most of the day, the following regional services of the Zürich S-Bahn are provided:

• S5 Zug – Affoltern am Albis – Zürich HB – Uster – Wetzikon – Rapperswil – Pfäffikon SZ
• S11 (Aarau – Lenzburg –) Dietikon – Zürich HB – Zürich Stettbach – Winterthur – Seuzach / Sennhof-Kyburg (– Wila)
• S12 Brugg AG – Zürich HB – Zürich Stettbach – Winterthur – Schaffhausen / Wil SG
• S14 Affoltern am Albis – Zürich HB – Oerlikon – Uster – Wetzikon – Hinwil
• S19 ( Koblenz – Baden – ) Dietikon – Zürich HB – Oerlikon – Effretikon ( – Pfäffikon ZH )
• S42 Zürich HB – Othmarsingen – Muri AG

Additionally there are single InterRegio trains per hour that call at Altstetten in both directions.[4][7]

• Between Zurich Airport and Basel SBB.
• Between Zürich Hauptbahnhof and Bern via Olten.

Route 4 of the Zürich tram system serves a terminus on the northern side of the station, whilst route 31 of the Zürich trolleybus system passes the south side of the station. Zürich bus routes 78, 80, 89 and 95 also serve the south side of the station, whilst routes 304, 307 and 308 terminate at the north side.[8][9]

Future plans involve the construction of the Limmattal light rail line that will link Altstetten station with communities further west in the valley of the Limmat. It is planned that the line will be partially opened by 2020 and will connect to the city tram system at Farbhof, just to the west of Altstetten station, with an extension of existing city tram service over the light rail line as far as Schlieren.[10][11][12]

• 
  The station from above, looking to the south and west
• 
  The south-side station building from the street
• 
  The north-side station entrance

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zürich Altstetten railway station.

• Station data from SBB web page
• Station plan from SBB web page