Advertisement

sbb

Passengers forced off jam-packed Zurich-bound train over safety concerns

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
Passengers forced off jam-packed Zurich-bound train over safety concerns
File photo: Depositphotos"

A number of commuters travelling to Zurich on Thursday morning where forced to disembark from their train at an earlier station because it was too full.

Advertisement

The passengers were travelling on an intercity train from Biel/Bienne to Zurich when they were asked to leave at Olten and wait 20 minutes for the next connecting service.

“There’s not even any standing room. People are really grumpy,” one reader told Swiss news site 20 Minuten.

“As a commuter, I’ve experienced a lot, but this takes the cake,” another reader said.

Read also: Here's how the Swiss train timetable changes in 2020

Swiss national railways operator SBB apologized after the incident. A spokesperson said a technical problem on the line the previous evening had resulted in a shortage of rolling stock in Biel/Bienne on Thursday.

This had resulted in the affected service travelling with a different carriage formation.

“When a train is too full, it is not possible to guarantee safe evacuation – in the case of a fire for example. The safety of our guests take priority in this incident,” the spokesperson added.

Switzerland’s SBB is regularly recognized as one of the world’s best train operators, but commuters have become increasingly frustrated by late or full trains, especially on the busy stretches between Bern and Zurich and between Geneva and Lausanne.

This frustration is aggravated because many people feel train travel in Switzerland is too expensive.

The SBB has also come under fire in recent times over its new double-decker FV-Dosto trains with Inclusion Handicap, the umbrella organization for disability groups in Switzerland, arguing the trains do meet the needs of people with disabilities. 

And recently there was an outcry after it emerged that transport operators were looking at a possible ten percent price hike for the country’s hugely popular GA travelcard, which offers unlimited travel on the country’s train network.

Read also: SBB makes it easier to buy cheap international train tickets

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also