Anyone travelling by train in Switzerland will be surprised by the incredible punctuality of train services on the Swiss Federal Railways network. SBB trains arrive and depart with the utmost precision, down to the minute. And this is no figment of the imagination.
As a result SBB has just triumphantly announced its train punctuality results for 2021: 91.9% of trains arrived on time at their destination station. That's less than three minutes late. This is even better than the initial 2021 targets. At that time, SBB was counting on train punctuality of 90.5%. The punctuality of connections, also measured, is relevant for customers: in 2021, 98.9% of passengers made their connections successfully. This is slightly better than the initial target of 98.8%.
SBB attributes this good performance to better worksite planning and the balanced distribution of work throughout the year. But also through a "beneficial" Covid effect. In fact, lower rail traffic levels have improved punctuality, as stations are less congested. In fact, SBB's punctuality record was reached in 2020 with the significant drop in traffic due to Covid.
Among the shortcomings in punctuality identified by the rail administration, SBB cited construction and maintenance work, delayed track clearances at stations, a lack of flexibility and insufficient reserves in the timetable. Bad weather also caused delays. For example, November was the worst month in terms of punctuality due to major fluctuations in temperature and weather.
Less punctuality in French-speaking Switzerland
There is still one fly in the ointment. Punctuality remains lower than average in French-speaking Switzerland, mainly due to the countless roadworks along the Lake Geneva route..
In fact, French-speaking Switzerland is likely to continue to suffer from a lower punctuality rate over the next few years. Massive work around the Geneva Cornavin and Lausanne stations will continue to affect train punctuality. At Geneva Cornavin in particular. The entry into force in 2019 of the TER Léman Express between France, Geneva and Lausanne had already led to saturation of Geneva's main station. The Léman Express no longer allows additional trains to be added to the timetable.
The Federal Office of Transport, SBB, the canton and the city of Geneva have therefore launched the project to extend Cornavin station, including the construction of two underground tracks to and from Lausannea central underground platform and a new route to and from Geneva Airport. As already announced, the project is scheduled to run from 2024 to 2031. The budget is approximately 1.6 billion Swiss francs. It has been approved by the federal government in Bern. This project is part of the Léman 2030 programmewith a budget of around 4 billion Swiss francs.
