William Tell Express
The William Tell Express is a boat and panoramic train line which connects Lucerne to Locarno crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south. It takes its name from William Tell, the Swiss folk hero, and is jointly operated by the Swiss Federal Railways, who operate the train, and the Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees, who operate the boat.
The boat part of the journey operates the length of Lake Lucerne, from Lucerne to Flüelen, and is normally operated by one of SGV's historic paddle steamers. It takes 3 hours.
At Flüelen station, passengers transfer to an SBB train, which takes the Gotthard line up the Reuss Valley and through the Gotthard Tunnel. It then emerges in the Leventina Valley in the canton of Ticino. After 2 hours of travel the train reaches Bellinzona and Locarno.
