Trains run on time for football fans
Swiss Federal Railways says that – in terms of punctuality and service – it is on the winning side at halftime of the Euro 2008 football championships.
The Railways said more than a million passengers have taken advantage of the 2,700 additional trains put in service for the event so far.
The Swiss rail service has also lived up to its punctual reputation with nearly all trains departing and arriving on schedule, the management said in Bern on Thursday.
“From our point of view, the Euro 2008 has been a huge success,” CEO Andreas Meyer said.
An additional 1,500 railway employees have been deployed during the tournament, as well as hundreds of cleaning staff to mop up after the fans. On match days, the cleaners have to deal with up to 300 tons of rubbish discarded in the trains – five times more than on a normal day.
As part of a sustainability concept in place in host countries Switzerland and Austria, anyone with a ticket for a match can travel for free on the rail network on the day of the game, and up to noon the day after.
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