Editor’s note: Park City Councilor Bill Ciraco is chronicling his exploration of public transportation in Europe in a series of commentaries, beginning with this one.
Pioneer Day is expected to make official Salt Lake City’s — and by association Park City’s — role as host city for the 2034 Winter Olympics. This seemed to be an opportune time to travel to Paris and a nearby country that inspired my thoughts on what transportation could do for the Wasatch Back. I would combine a trip to Switzerland with three nights in Paris from July 23-26 to take part in the SLC 2034 Bid Committee festivities there. Disclaimer — none of my trip is being paid for by Park City — this is entirely self funded because I am that focused on transforming what transportation looks like in and around Park City.
Planes, trains, and no automobiles …
My itinerary had me traveling from SLC through NYC to Paris. I scrambled through security at SLC, which only took 10 minutes from curbside to my gate, only to find out that my flight to JFK was delayed by two and half hours. If this domino fell, others would follow as I only had two and half hours in Paris to gather my luggage, change terminals and catch my flight to Zurich.
With exasperation I approached the Delta service desk. I explained my situation to a wonderful and reassuring woman named Maria. Before I could even catch my breath she said, “I can put you on the direct flight to Charles De Gaulle. Would that be OK?”
Jackpot. The double jackpot bonus was that she was able to keep me in the same class of service I had booked, which tells you I wasn’t sitting in main cabin. When you are 6-3, this is an important consideration. Note to self: Fill out the Delta Customer Service questionnaire.
I arrived in Paris at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, three and a half hours earlier than my scheduled arrival. Great, I thought, I’ll get over to SwissAir and try to get on an earlier flight to Zurich. As I waited for my checked bag from SLC, I checked the SwissAir app. Foiled again. There was a flight at 9:45 a.m., and then not another flight till 3:05 p.m., my original booking.
With no hope to make the earlier flight, I thought rather than wait six hours, why not take the train instead?
Making my way through Charles De Gaulle Airport was surprisingly easy for someone who didn’t travel overseas till the age of 30 and who doesn’t speak French. There were volunteers throughout the airport ready to assist weary travelers. In France, a country oftne thought of as having some shade of socialism, the airport is owned and operated by a private for profit company, Groupe ADP.
With anticipation I approached the ticket machine. Upon inputting my desired destination, the only departure offered was a train leaving at 11 that evening. I knew there was a train at 11:22 a.m. that would get me to downtown Zurich in a little over four hours. At the service desk I was told that all of the trains to Zurich were sold out until 11 p.m.
Imagine that: We run free buses that are rarely ever full, and here a train ride that would cost me 200 Euros was sold out for the next 12 hours — despite nearly hourly service.
Upon deplaning at Zurich Airport, I proceeded to the train station (most major airports in Europe have not only light rail or subway service to the city, but also commuter and regional fast rail connections). There I learned that I could purchase a Zurich Card for 56 Swiss Francs that would provide for unlimited transportation not just in the city, but in the region for 72 hours. This included my train ride from the airport to my hotel, all of 16 minutes. For reference, the price of an Uber from the airport would have been 35 Swiss Francs and the time would have been about the same.
My Zurich Card would allow me unlimited travel on commuter rail, light rail/street cars, buses and ferries on the lake. From the airport I got off at a station that was a four minute walk to my hotel. On the train I noted that the cars were built by Stadler, whose U.S. headquarters is in Salt Lake City and who also provides the train cars for the FrontRunner train down in the valley.
The public transportation system in Zurich is a poster child of efficiency, reliability and integration, making it a valuable case study for urban planners and transit authorities worldwide. I don’t know if the transportation consultants we hired studied this system or the other mountain village systems in Switzerland, but I can say with conviction there is something to learn here.
Zurich’s system, operated by ZVV, exemplifies best practices in public transit through its seamless integration, punctuality and user-centric design, ensuring high levels of service and satisfaction. The Zurich Card is a tangible representation of many of these practices put to use.
In my next piece I will dive into several aspects of the transit network here and highlight what a similar network could do for the greater Park City area, eventually reaching all the way into the Wasatch Front.
After a restful night at the Renaissance Zurich, I am heading out to chronicle and study the myriad of transportation options here.
Some relevant Park Record links:
Other supporting links:
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-10-22/sedona-new-age-tourism-housing-traffic-crowding
https://www.sfchronicle.com/tahoe/article/tahoe-ski-traffic-17791264.php