“We are not satisfied with this situation”: SBB sleeps with night train

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If you want to take the night train from Zurich to Hamburg, you should book early. “Tages-Anzeiger”, the demand is huge, half a million people took an overnight train to and from Switzerland last year, and a new record is already approaching. Many excursions are almost completely full by September.

But if you hope for a comfortable and relaxed night, you will usually be disappointed. Train passengers report that the compartments have been canceled and that they can only travel by sitting instead of lying down. As “Tages-Anzeiger” writes, showers or food service often don’t work either. In addition, a quarter of all night trains arrived late in the first five months of 2023.

SBB confirms problems. The delays are due to construction sites in Germany, which have increased significantly in recent years. Car breakdowns remained stable compared to previous years. “Because of the high occupancy, the impact on travelers is greater,” says a “Tages-Anzeiger” spokesperson. If a night train is fully booked, journeys cannot easily be rebooked on another train. “SBB is not happy with this situation.” But we are doing everything we can to improve the situation.

dependent on partners

Meanwhile, SBB has surpassed the trend. They cut their own nightly connection in 2009 and have been dependent on foreign partners ever since. “Tages-Anzeiger” writes that the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in particular is active, investing several hundred million euros in new trains and operating two dozen lines.

Turn off SBB. Night train connections to Rome and Barcelona had long been announced. So far without actually implementing them. The prerequisite is the adoption of the amended CO₂ law promising funding. There is no question of investing in yourself for SBB. Night trains are expensive and can only be used once a day. However, it will likely take at least a year for the CO₂ law to actually take effect. (brother)

Source :Blick