No great expansion, staff with deep wages

The SBB pull the plug to the night trains to Rome. Similarly, Barcelona, the order for new nightjets is shortened, and the staff receives deep wages: the night train business does not come from the spot. Nevertheless, The background.

Stefan Ehrbar / CH Media

SBB boss Vincent Ducrot relies on speed instead of deep sleep. However, He wants to buy high -speed trains for his train. In addition, The no great expansion, staff deep tender is expected to take place as early as 2026. However, The fast trains could make it to Rome, Barcelona and London in a few hours during the day. Consequently, The night trains announced in 2020 to Italy and Spain, on the other hand, pulled the plug in spring.

The then promised expansion from six to ten night trains from Switzerland does not take place. Nevertheless, Bern and western Switzerland remain without a connection to the night train network. Furthermore, For the connection from Zurich to Amsterdam launched at the end of 2021. Similarly, only a seasonal night train from Basel via Copenhagen will be added to Malmö, which is scheduled to start next year and run three times a week.

All providers have problems – No great expansion, staff deep

The great night train euphoria has not no great expansion, staff deep only evaporated in the SBB. Moreover, but also at the Austrian Bahn ÖBB. Furthermore, It runs the night trains that run under the name “Nightjet” from Zurich to Vienna. Meanwhile, Hamburg and Berlin and is also responsible for the night train from Zurich to Amsterdam together with the SBB, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Dutch railway.

The ÖBB 2018 and 2021 ordered new compositions to replace its old night trains and the expansion of the network. However, A few weeks ago, the Austrians announced that the order would be reduced. Nevertheless, Instead of 33 new Nightjets, they only buy 24 – more trains for day traffic.

The state railways are not the only one to struggle with the business. For example, The French start-up Midnight Trains had to stop operating last year before a single night train had even driven. no great expansion, staff deep However,

The Dutch provider European Sleeper, launched in 2021 with large ambitions, currently only offers one connection between Brussels and Prague. Furthermore,

The German operator Flixtrain, successful with day trains, ended his night train adventure in 2021 after a few months. And behind the ambitions of the German start-up NOx. which wants to offer “night trains with 100 percent private rooms” from 2027, experts set a big question mark.

What brakes the expansion – No great expansion, staff deep

The problems of all providers are similar: the route prices, i.e. a kind of rail rent, are expensive. Rolling material is expensive and hardly available. At night it is often built, which leads to diversions and failures. A night train traveler needs more space and infrastructure than a passenger of a day. no great expansion, staff deep

The beds, seats and loungers can only be sold once a day. It is different on trains during the day. Airplanes in turn can fly several rotations every day within Europe.

The business remains a niche

This is reflected in the prices. as the example of a trip from Zurich to Berlin on September 16 shows. During the day. the journey by train and with a half-tax subscription for CHF 53 can be feasible in a good 8 hours. The airline Easyjet demands CHF 41 for the 90-minute flight with hand luggage and with a large case. A good 11-hour ride in the Nightjet. on the other hand, costs at least CHF 95 in the couchnut and at least CHF 157 in the sleeping car.

Mobility no great expansion, staff deep researcher Thomas Sauter-Servaes from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences described the night. trains two years ago to the “Handelsblatt” as the “niche product for lovers”. After all. the night trains can count on a fan base that is ready to pay several hundred francs per trip.

Nevertheless: “Nights remain a niche,” said SBB boss Vincent Ducrot this week to the “Migros magazine”. Last year, SBB counted 11.6 million travelers on international trains. Only about 600,000 used a night train.

Cheap staff takes on more tasks

When asked whether this number could be increased. there is an answer: yes, but not without subsidies. SBB can only launch the night train to Malmö because the federal government supports the connection based on the. CO law by 2030 with CHF 47 million. The ÖBB, no great expansion, staff deep which runs its night trains with a profit, also receives subsidies for many sections.

But even with state help, only the black zero remains. In order to reduce the costs, the trains rely on cheap, external staff. The ÖBB employs such the French company Newrest for the Nightjet trains. This is looking for employees in Zurich-and offers an entry-level wage of just CHF 3700, as the “Tages-Anzeiger” reported.

This cheap staff is taking on more and more tasks. So far. in addition to the Newrest staff, the DB was present, for example, on the sections in Germany in Nightjet and Euronight trains. These operations are now being deleted. Since June the night trains from Zurich to Hamburg from Basel. no more DB staff has been on the road, as of October it will also be deducted from the night trains no great expansion, staff deep from Zurich to Amsterdam and Berlin.

SBB rely on German company

The SBB emphasize that the night trains on the Swiss sections are still accompanied by SBB staff. which is responsible for operational and takes over the ticket control on the entire train and the customer accompaniment to the seating car.

However, it makes no sense if the SBB would hire its own staff for the hotel service abroad. Instead, you sit on partner companies that would be obliged to offer fair working conditions and to pay “sorting wages”. On the new night train from Basel via Copenhagen to Malmö, the German company RDC will provide the staff.

Less than 20. 000 passengers per year

Even if this train no great expansion, staff deep were always fully booked, less than 20,000 people should use it per year and direction. For comparison: Last year, 331,000 people flew from a Swiss airport to Denmark and 255,000 to Sweden, transfer passengers not counted.

The night trains will not bring the big turn to climate -friendly trips. With the strategy of raining fast trains during the day. SBB boss Vincent Ducrot could grieve night train romantic-but the decision is correct. (aargauerzeitung.ch)