The catalyst is the 2026 relief package, which the St. Gallen Cantonal Council adopted on 3 December 2025. The government justified the measures on the grounds that the structural plan only requires contiguous settlement areas with more than 300 residents and jobs to provide public transport links. In the canton’s view, services that have developed historically in smaller hamlets or school-oriented routes go beyond this obligation.
For property and location development, this is more than just a question of timetables. Where connections are reduced or discontinued altogether, the suitability for everyday use of car-free residential and work locations declines. This primarily affects outlying areas around St. Gallen, Gossau, Goldach, Rorschach, Rorschacherberg, Waldkirch and Wittenbach.
Entire routes are facing cancellation
The routes to be cancelled are route 132 between Engelburg, Hohfirst and Waldkirch; route 254 between the St. Gallen Cantonal School, Goldach, Rorschach town, Rorschacherberg and Rorschach, and the S-Bahn line S82 between St. Gallen, St. Fiden and Wittenbach. The canton expects these three services alone to yield savings of 330,000 Swiss francs per year. Added to this are budgetary implications for local authorities and the federal government.
Further cuts will affect local and regional feeder services. Service on route 11 between St. Gallen railway station, Karlstor and Abacus-Platz is to be reduced by around 50 per cent. A 20 per cent reduction is planned for VBSG Line 10 between Oberhofstetten, St. Gallen railway station and Röteli. Line 150 between Gossau, Eichen and Sommerau is to be restricted to peak hours.
Cost-cutting shifts costs and risks
Particularly contentious is the canton’s withdrawal from individual services where there is no statutory obligation to provide transport links. The lines mentioned are the 180 (Herisau, Hundwil, Stein AR and St. Gallen), the N23 (Gossau, Herisau and Urnäsch) and, once again, the S82. Whilst this reduces the canton’s expenditure, part of the burden is shifted on to the local authorities.
Across the canton as a whole, the canton is set to save around 3 million Swiss francs through cuts and by withdrawing from the co-funding of various routes. At the same time, planning for the 2027 timetable is already underway. In May 2026, the cantonal website stated that Line 151, travelling towards St. Gallen, would no longer stop at Winkeln station and that the S82 would be discontinued. This shows that the cost-cutting decision is leading to specific changes to services across the network.
