The Swiss Federal Railways has massively increased video surveillance in trains and at stations in recent years with around 25,000 cameras in operation nationwide.
Since 2015 alone, the state-run company has installed 10,000 additional surveillance cameras, according to a report in the German-language paper SonntagsBlick, which was confirmed by a railway spokesperson to Keystone-SDA on Sunday. In total, the Federal Railways trains are currently equipped with 22,300 cameras and another 2,400 cameras are in operation at train stations and other infrastructure.
The Federal Railways have had to fend off criticism in the last few weeks after reports that the railway group was planning to install cameras with facial recognition to analyse commuter behaviour. The company defended the cameras saying that the new “customer frequency measurement system” wouldn’t record personal data and that no facial recognition was planned.
Video surveillance has increased in the federal public transport system, following a trend at other transport companies including in German and in select Swiss cities, writes SonntagsBlick. The railway company says that part of the reason for the increase is the expansion of rail service and that video cameras are a requirement for new trains.
“Video surveillance is part of our security concept. This is an important element for us in order to be able to further increase the safety standards on trains for our employees and customers,” a company spokesperson told SonntagsBlick.
Video images help in the case of an attack on train controllers and can speed up the response to emergencies. Last year, public prosecutors requested video images from the Federal Railways on average 200 times per month, writes SonntagsBlick.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Roger Federer is not eternal, but he changed tennis forever
Trump made direct financial demands during call with Swiss president
This content was published on
During the telephone call between Karin Keller-Sutter and Donald Trump on July 31, Trump demanded direct payments from Switzerland, according to an investigation by SonntagsBlick.
Demonstrators in Swiss capital demand better access to mental health care
This content was published on
Thousands of people demonstrated in Berne on Saturday afternoon against long waiting lists, the lack of therapy places and the absence of a clear pricing structure.
This content was published on
Swiss companies' expectations for salary growth are down by 0.3 percentage points compared to a year ago, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Economic Research (KOF).
One Swiss national killed in plane accident in southern France
This content was published on
A Swiss national was killed alongside a German national in a crash involving two light aircraft on Saturday afternoon in Saint-Pons, south-eastern France.
Over 6,000 apprenticeships remain unfilled in Switzerland
This content was published on
By mid-August, which is the start of the Swiss school year, some 6,400 apprenticeship vacancies remain, mainly in the construction, catering and machinery industries.
Japanese film Tabi to Hibi wins Golden Leopard at Locarno
This content was published on
The Japanese film Tabi to Hibi by director Sho Miyake won the Golden Leopard, the top prize in the international competition, on the final day of the Locarno Festival.
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How to behave on a Swiss train
This content was published on
Jump on, ride to your stop, hop off — without offending anybody. Sounds easy, but it’s not, warns a guru of Swiss transport etiquette.
Digitalisation and surveillance at work: is your boss spying on you?
This content was published on
The increasing use of employee surveillance technology is causing concern in Switzerland, where the legal system is not set up to deal with it.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.