SBB, BLS, SOB and SZU are abbreviations for Swiss ...

All four are railways: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS), Südostbahn (SOB) and Sihltal-Zürich-Uetliberg-Bahn (SZU).

Common mistakes

D: cable car companies.

Cable cars run on cables up mountains. SBB, BLS, SOB and SZU run on rails.

A: trade unions.

Trade unions represent employees. But the «B» in the abbreviations stands for «Bahn» (railway).

Railways and the Gotthard

Switzerland is a railway country. It is said of its railway network that it is the densest in the world. That means: there are very many railway lines on a small area. Almost every village can be reached by train or bus. People in Switzerland travel more kilometres by train per year than in almost any other country.

Culture, economy and Switzerland in the world · Economy and transport

Sources

• zh.ch
• aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch
• bav.admin.ch

Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.