Swiss trains skipping stations to make up lost time is ‘reasonable’

The Swiss travel further by train than any other nation in Europe, clocking up an average of 2,400 km per person every year. Keystone

Switzerland’s government sees no problem in trains skipping stations to make up for a delay. The transport ministry said on Monday that this measure was “reasonable” and did not violate the duty to operate.

Removing stops along the way minimises the effects of a delay not only on a train, but on the entire network, the ministry told Swiss news agency SDA-Keystone.

By ignoring certain stops, SBB estimates that it will avoid a domino effect on a network carrying more than one million passengers every day. This allows tardy trains to catch up and complete the rest of the journey on time, restoring connections and preventing other trains from being affected by the delay.

Since the last timetable change in December 2018, SBB has used this measure 17 times: four times on the Zurich-St. Gallen route and 13 times on the Bern-Zurich route.

Having been informed of these train cancellations and faced with the grumbling of passengers who were unable to get off at their stops, or saw a train pass by without stopping, the transport ministry asked SBB for an explanation at the beginning of the summer.

The railway company explained that these measures are only used to protect the interests of the majority of customers and avoid cascading consequences, an argument that convinced the authorities. 

However, the transport ministry insisted restraint when using such a solution. If the failure to serve stations to make up for delays increases significantly, SBB must report back and come up with alternative solutions.

As for passengers stranded on the platform of their station, they will receive information on the alternatives to arrive at their destination, SBB says.