Train passenger numbers rise

The Swiss Federal Railways transported around six per cent more passengers this year than in 2006. It plans more investments to cope with higher traveller numbers.

However, the company’s chief executive, Andreas Meyer, warned in an interview in a Sunday newspaper that the cargo division, which is in the red, might have to shed jobs.

Meyer told the NZZ am Sonntag that the Federal Railways was considering whether to spend more than the planned annual SFr500 million ($433 million) on new rolling stock to help build up capacity. It is also looking at ways to better manage busy commuter periods.

But he said he was not yet satisfied with train punctuality, which remained the same as last year. Meyer said his goal in 2008 was to bring punctuality closer to passengers’ expectations.

In terms of the freight unit, Meyer said that the end of year result would not be a good one and that he did not expect a huge improvement next year. Job losses could not be ruled out, he added.