Swiss train problems being solved, says manufacturer
Bombardier says its trains offer shorter journey times and more passenger comfort, but they have been beset by problems.
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Bombardier says it expects to deliver all 62 double-decker express trains ordered by Swiss Federal Railways by summer 2021. Deliveries should have been made as early as 2013 but have been fraught with technical problems.
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The trains were ordered in 2010 for a total of CHF 1.9 billion ($1.9 billion), making it the largest contract in the history of rail transport. The first trains were put into service in February 2018 between Bern and Zurich, but regularly experienced technical problems.
At a press conference in Zurich on Wednesday, the Canadian manufacturer said it had been working to solve train defects and that three-quarters of them had been solved.
To date, 25 “Dosto” trains have been delivered to Swiss Federal Railways. In response to criticism, Bombardier has created a websiteExternal link dedicated to the new trains.
Over the past few years, Swiss Federal Railways has been plagued by the delivery delay, building projects and maintenance work on the rail network, as well as accidents, including the death earlier this year of a conductor trapped in a train door.
It recently promised to try to do better. The managers said trains in Switzerland were among the most punctual in Europe, but that the system was often stretched to its limits.
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