FC Zürich fans halt Swiss trains and occupy Bern station ahead of Sion match

Disruptions on the Zurich to Bern rail corridor

Several hundred FC Zürich supporters disrupted train services on Saturday afternoon while traveling across Switzerland for a Swiss Super League match against FC Sion. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) reported that traveling fans activated onboard emergency alarms on a passenger train operating on the line between Zurich and Bern. A second train halted inside Bern central station after supporters triggered additional safety alarms, prompting rail personnel to take both trains out of service in accordance with safety regulations. SBB had issued advance travel notices warning regular passengers to prepare for heavily overcrowded carriages and operational delays across central corridors. The stoppages blocked rail links between the two large cities, leaving standard passengers and traveling supporters delayed along the route leading to the canton of Valais.

Standoff and smoke devices at Bern station

Supporters from Zurich, including ultras associated with the club's Südkurve section, converged on Bern central station around 14:30 to transfer toward Sion. Dressed in matching dark blue jackets, light blue jeans, and white sneakers, hundreds of fans occupied the central concourse, chanting club songs and setting off blue smoke petards. Eyewitnesses reported thick smoke rising around the station's central meeting point, though observers noted that supporters refrained from igniting marine distress flares. A large contingent of police officers established a security cordon around the central gathering area and requested that commuters stay clear of elevated station balconies to prevent potential injuries. The travel backlog worsened when the 15:07 train scheduled to depart for Sion suffered a technical fault, leaving several hundred fans stranded on the platforms.

Transport policy changes and rescheduled kickoff

The travel chaos follows a policy shift implemented by SBB regarding football fan transit for the current season. SBB announced in late July 2026 that it would no longer provide chartered fan trains operating outside regular timetable hours, citing tight personnel resources, network construction sites, and elevated operating costs. Without dedicated charter services, visiting supporters were required to use regular scheduled trains to reach the Stade de Tourbillon in Sion. Because supporters would otherwise face being stranded in Valais after late-night games without return connections, cantonal authorities moved the match kickoff forward from 20:30 to 18:00. The schedule adjustment aimed to guarantee that Zurich fans could complete their journey home before standard passenger train services ceased for the night.

Security reviews and ongoing rail disputes

Saturday's stoppages follow a series of coordinated protests by football supporters against the reduction of chartered transport services. In late July 2026, supporters of rival club Grasshopper Club Zürich disrupted a regular service to Lausanne by pulling emergency brakes at least 15 times, smoking inside carriages, and distributing informational flyers to passengers, leading SBB to file criminal charges. Following the disruptions in Bern, SBB confirmed that the safety breaches would undergo formal operational reviews alongside police and licensing authorities.

The railway company condemns this behavior in the strongest terms.

An SBB spokesperson informed the Keystone-SDA news agency that rail operators would adjust the security deployment for the evening return journey, while assessments of potential property damage at Bern station remained underway.