Train drivers on average ran through almost one red light a day, according to statistics quoted in SonntagsZeitung. That’s a new record, the newspaper says.
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In 2018, train drivers missed red lights or other signals 363 times, according to Federal Office of TransportExternal link statistics. In comparison, the number amounted to 224 in 2010, the first year these kind of statistics were published.
In all, 108 people have been injured as a result of lights and signals incidents since 2010, 15 of them seriously. In 2013, one person died in a head-on collision with another train in Granges-Marnand, after a train driver missed a signal.
According to the Swiss Federal Railways, External linknew drivers are particularly at risk. It now offers refresher courses and experts to accompany drivers on their routes. This coming year already shows fewer incidents than last year, the Federal Railways says.
Safety issues
The statistics come as the Federal Railways have been put under pressure to improve safety on their trains, after the recent death of a Swiss Federal Railways conductor due to a defective door control system.
On Friday, the government ordered the railways to ensure that doors function safely. In addition, it must carry out a comprehensive inspection. It has emerged that there have been other incidents involving doors. The Federal Railways has pledged to increase door safety after expressing surprise at how many faulty doors have been found. It insists however rail transport remains the safest way to travel in Switzerland.
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SBB CEO Meyer has been under fire following the fatal accident on August 4 that saw the conductor trapped by a door and dragged along a platform by a train. Since then, some 20 faulty doors have been identified amid tests on thousands, he told SonntagsBlickExternal link on Sunday. This number has risen from the…
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Some have also caused considerable disruption to passengers. On Wednesday Swiss Federal Railways reported an incident at Geneva Airport when just before 5 a.m. a regional train ran into an empty train standing at the station, causing slight damage to both. No one was injured but one in six trains between Geneva and Geneva airport…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.