SBB wants to offer more trains that shorten schedules and still stay on time. And they want to invest 500 million CHF in their stations. “We’re going to renovate toilets at around 350 stations first,” SBB boss Vincent Durcrot (60) says in an interview with “NZZ am Sonntag”.
Especially smaller stations will be renewed. “They should be nicer and cleaner,” Ducrot says. For the federal company, it’s also about image. “The stations must be able to live up to the SBB name.” 500 million will be invested over the next six to seven years. The second step after toilets is to preserve the essence of the item first.
Half a billion for new lockdowns
But SBB has long not only invested in stations. They want to expand their network to an extensive S-Bahn system for the whole country. Ducrot says that in such a system, train traffic should work much more intensely. This requires significant investments in security technology. According to “NZZ am Sonntag”, a call for tender should be made for new digital interlocks as early as 2023. “These can control rail operations more efficiently than today’s interlockings,” Ducrot believes.
However, the implementation of the project will take ten to fifteen years – the cost is unknown. Initial tests are currently being run with new software for trip planning. “It allows each trip to be planned in a process. From booking the route at the right departure time to programming the switches in the signal box,” says the SBB boss. The cost here: plus half a billion Swiss francs. (be)