train travel in switzerland

natureguides, no it is not like an airline. It is more like a city bus or the subway/metro/BART etc. No check in, no porters, no baggage check. You get on and off on your own carrying your own bags. Some time during the trip, a person will come down the aisle checking tickets. No big deal. You have 17 minutes to change trains. That's plenty. You need to be ready to disembark before the train arrives, with your bags ready. Find the track with your next train, and just get on. If there's a line, because someone is slow getting off, just go to another door and get on. You dont have to board the exact car you will be in, although you will see some marked with a 1 or a 2 to indicate class. Careful about boarding too early, With that much time, and all the trains going in and out, another train might be using the same track, so make sure you get on the one to destination (check numbers, ask, etc.). It will make more sense when you see it.

Stan,
Thanks so much for your very complete and definitive response. NG

See more general train and station tips in the All Aboard section at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains.

Train travel in Switzerland is wonderful. YOu will find it easy. You don't need to buy tickets in advance, FYI. Check Seat61 website for all the information you need if not more!

Natureguides, rail travel is not like air travel. It has none of the complicated process.

There is no check-in

You walk in off the street (carrying your bags), you look at the big display board (or small videos) and decide which platform (track) your train will leave from, you walk there, wait for the train, get on and sit down. You will not interact with anybody while doing this.
Its that simple, as simple as going into a big building and using a lift (elevator).

• Your luggage is your problem. You carry it onto the train and store it with you, in overhead racks, between seat backs or in some cases racks at the end of the coach.
• You can get on any coach with a "1" by the door, and sit anywhere that is empty. No reserved seats.
• Aim to get on the platform 5-10 minutes before your train departs. If you are getting on or off at an intermediate station, the train may only stop for 1-3 minutes.
• Your ticket will be checked on the train, sometime during the journey. If someone in uniform enters the carriage, says something and everybody starts grabbing their tickets, that is the ticket inspector.
• Your change at Luzern will take ~5 minutes, leaving you ~12 spare. Same as before, train stops, get off (carrying bags), walk to new platform, wait for train (it starts in Luzern, so it may be sitting there), get on and sit down.
• Buying tickets in advance was unnecessary. It is a "turn-up-and-go" service. At least one train per hour, tickets are valid on any train on the date shown on the ticket, and are exactly the same price if you buy at the station.
• You can sit in any seat you like.
• Where are you starting from, Zürich city centre or Zürich airport? Two different locations. I hope your ticket is from the correct one.

"I would like to get there very early and hopefully board early" - you can't get on until the train arrives.

It is simple, as complicated as using a people mover at an airport (which is also a train).

FYI--One thing that confused me on my first trip to Switzerland is that when you buy at the ticket counter, the agent will print you a "itinerary". It's a wonderful thing. Its like the directions a mom would give! It tells you where to board, the time, the track you will end at and then the time and track for your next train. A few of our connections were just a couple minutes, so we'd race from one to another because, this itinerary, can give you the impression that if you miss your connecting train (unlikely) you're sunk. You are not. Your ticket allows you to get on the next or all subsequent trains.

jules m & Laura,
Thanks to both, I feel much more confident thanks all who answered.

As others note, luggage is all "carry-on", even your big bags. Airline carry-on sized bags generally can fit in the overheads or spaces near your seat. If you have larger (equivalent to bigger checked bags) luggage, there are spaces at the ends of the cars near the doors.

SBB trains do not have checked bag service like airlines, but do have luggage services offered at some stations. See:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/services/luggage/luggage.html
I saw travelers collecting bags at a station, but it's not like an airport where you get your bags in 20 minutes or so.
For station to station luggage service:

Dropping off and collection.

Drop off your luggage by 7 p.m. today and collect from your
destination station the day after tomorrow from 9 a.m.

Here's the SBB Tickets 101 website:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/individual-tickets.html

For example, single point to point tickets:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/individual-tickets/outward-return-round-trips.html

Validity of tickets purchased at ticket offices or machines.

Standard tickets purchased at a ticket office or machine are valid for
one day or ten days, depending on the distance of the journey they are
intended for:

Distance One way Return

Up to 115 km 1 day 1 day

From 116 km 1 day 10 days

Validity of tickets purchased on the Internet (OnlineTickets).

The validity of ordinary tickets purchased on the Internet (available
as OnlineTickets only) is different to the validity of standard
tickets purchased at a ticket office or machine. In addition,
customers have to specify their travel dates when purchasing standard
tickets online. Subsequent changes or exchanges are not possible.