Federal Railways fails to meet on-time targets

Work in Zurich caused disruption elsewhere Keystone

In 2013, 87.5% of Swiss train passengers arrived at their destination with no more than a three-minute delay, the Swiss Federal Railways confirmed on Sunday. The railway service missed its goal of delivering at least 89% of passengers within that time frame.

The number of passengers arriving on time decreased compared with 2012 (88%) and 2011 (89.8%).

The reason cited for the decline was work being done in the Zurich area, with the delays then affecting numerous trains in other areas of Switzerland.

Some regions were less affected: travellers in French-speaking Switzerland, for example, arrived on time for 89.1% of their journeys.

The three-minute criterion used to define lateness is the most stringent in Europe, said railway spokeswoman Franziska Frey.

On February 9, Swiss voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to set up a financing scheme for the country’s railway infrastructure.

Meanwhile, in an interview published on Sunday in the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, Transport Minister Doris Leuthard said that increases in ticket prices could be expected, regardless of whether the constitutional amendment passes.