SBB will again night trains

Who wants to drive through the night on the train in the holidays, won't arrive at many destinations very recovered: travelers to Amsterdam, about the SBB offer a connection, while the will require four times, the last Time in Maastricht, where you will disembark to 0.40 PM, and five hours in the dark train station to endure before you can continue. Travel time: 14 hours and 55 minutes.

Since 2009, the SBB no night trains. Only the Austrian Federal Railways offer from Switzerland still has direct Connections in your Nightjet or in the Euro-night of your partner, but only to Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Graz, Prague, Zagreb and Budapest.

An Alternative to aircraft

The young green liberal party of Switzerland want to change this now: Jürg Large, national councillor and President of the green liberal, for you to an Interpellation on this subject submit. In it, you want to know by the Federal Council, whether the SBB provide in its new strategy, night trains and whether they have clarified the need for it. No plans for night trains, there are the green liberals with a mandatory Motion of such a claim. In the process, they not only rely on the support of the left parties, but also of the free-minded.

Tobias Vögeli, Co-President of the young green liberal, it is incomprehensible that the SBB offer no night trains anymore: "The Swiss are world Champions in the fly. 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland are caused by air travel." In order for Switzerland to reach the climate targets, it need Alternatives to flying.

More passengers asleep

transported by The SBB have given up on the night trains, because the demand for it has fallen, among other things, due to the low flight prices. The assignment for the night train to Rome, for example, had halved since 2002, and at the same time, the deficit was increased alone of this compound to 3 to 4 million Swiss francs per year.

Tobias Vögeli is convinced, however, that night, lines can be economically successful. The proven Railways, the Austrian Federal government. Only last week, they announced that they were able to increase the number of passengers that can bring you in Europe are sleeping to the goal, in the course of the past year from 1.4 to 1.6 million. Now, the ÖBB have ordered additional night trains. The young green-liberals assume, that also in Switzerland the demand for night trains is increasing. The climate of the strikes in schools, for example, showed that the young today want to travel in a climate – friendly- it is the range is lacking but.

train compartment with shower

The development of the past few years speaks for night trains, is Vögeli convinced. The fly had become unattractive, because the passengers would have to be today because of the elaborate security measures are often already two hours before departure in the airport. At the same time it became more comfortable to travel in night train.

today, The trains have nothing with the previous community, as up to six people in a compartment on narrow bunks were, women and men in the same compartment, it smelled strictly, and it was snoring. Today, the ÖBB have compartments for a maximum of three persons, each has a sink, Deluxe compartments also have shower and toilet. And Welcome to be served Drinks.

However, travelers in the night, the train still pay substantially more than those that fly. Train driver from for Zurich–Hamburg returns in a three-compartment in the Nightjet 299 francs, passengers can already travel from 79 Swiss francs. "In Switzerland the fly is heavily subsidized," says Vögeli. Flyer paid in Switzerland, no flight ticket tax and unlike rail or bus passengers, no fuel tax or VAT. Also, the external costs would be levied on the price of the flight tickets, it would fly a lot more expensive.

SBB-fleet

not sold in The SBB think, however, because, again, night trains, as it is called on request. You have sold your fleet for a long time now. As a spokeswoman says, in support of the ÖBB in Switzerland, for example, in Marketing, in the case of routing, the train personnel, or in the ranking.

The ÖBB operate your Nightjets from the first year to cover costs. How do you do that? You have a relatively great night, the train network, which contributes 20 percent to your long-distance traffic, revenue, as their spokesman Bernhard Rieder on request says. In the case of the Deutsche Bahn, which stopped their night trains in 2016 – including those in Switzerland – it was only a niche business.

The ÖBB acquisitions on even lines of the Deutsche Bahn, resulting in additional synergies were: Nightjets from Munich to Venice can be combined, for example, in Salzburg the night train from Vienna. Costs could not reduce the ÖBB also, by farming the Nightjets itself, but this task to an international Caterer outsourced. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 14.01.2019, 18:05 PM