As Switzerland continues to debate austerity measures, the head of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has refused to rule out closing train stations to reduce costs over the long term. Vincent Ducrot argued that while he is against scrapping rail lines, some smaller stations could be closed without compromising the quality of public transport.

Swiss railways caught between rising demand and lower funding

In an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Ducrot said that the railways in Switzerland face major challenges. For one, despite already being the most dense network in the world, SBB expects that it will still have to expand services to both satisfy a growing population and help the country transition away from carbon-intensive transport such as cars.

However, in the short term, federal funding for railways is expected to be cut in the next few years. While new rail projects continue to be funded, the federal government is expected to cut its day-to-day subsidies of public transport dramatically in the next few years, as part of a wider plan to balance the books.

Closing smaller rail stations in Switzerland should be considered, SBB head argues

Therefore, Ducrot argued that in the future, one of the measures that should be considered is closing down smaller stations dotted across Swiss cities, towns and villages, in order to reduce costs while expanding the overall number of services offered. While not an issue in the short term, as the network ages authorities will “have to look at what infrastructure is needed for what service," he added.

Ducrot argued that fundamentally, "the frequent stopping of trains slows down the system and eats up a lot of the network's capacity." He said that to cater to rising demand and guarantee more frequent connections - such as his plan to offer 15-minute rail connections nationwide - SBB needs to either replace rail services to some stations with other forms of transport, or authorities need to “order less or pay more.”

More frequent services favoured over faster connections

“We will have to set priorities…[do we need] a train every 15 minutes - and to take a bus or another public transport to the main station? Or would the customer prefer a train station 500 metres away, but from which a train only runs every half hour or hour?" he noted. In calling for the former, Ducrot argued that travellers often prefer a more frequent service with connections over a less frequent but faster service.

However, he conceded that it will be “up to future generations” to decide which stations to close. He also said that it would be a “huge mistake” to get rid of rail lines completely or close stations without creating alternative bus services, arguing that it would adversely affect those in rural regions.

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