Why are trains in Switzerland so punctual?

[@TFTSB]

i need to go back and ride the matterhorner gotthard bahn sometime, don't i?

[@ninnobroggi]

I'm glad you had a good expierience in Switzerland. Just saying; Switzerland also has a fourth main language; Rumantsch, which is spoken in Graubünden. Greetings from the Canton of Zurich.

[@aoilpe]

Yes , you should…

[@philip_quakyoutube3065]

Yep…

[@Jan-jm6pm]

6:25 Little correction: Switzerland has four official national languages. Granted, the fourth one (Romantsh) has nearly died out and most things are only translated into the three big ones (German, French, Italian), but let's not forget about our Romantsh brothers and sisters! Other than that, good video. Much love from Switzerland

[@TFTSB]

I had no idea! A welcome correction from me

[@Elibuwu]

As a Rumantsch-Speaker, thank you for your service!

[@Someone-wh8hi]

As a Swiss, I knew there had to be a comment about this already 😂

[@Txkato]

switzerland is like the germany premium subscription it's way to expensive but when you look at how good everything works you look at your basic plan and think "why can't i have that"

[@genoobtlp4424]

Now that you mention it, I absolutely agree.

[@thomasweber2900]

05:45 Little correction: Freight trains share most of the tracks with passenger rail. Though passenger trains (and schedule) have priority.

[@TherconJair]

Last year prices were increased, against the will of SBB. Rösti, our pro car federal councillor, who has the transport department, is trying to make car travel more attractive. The motorway investments, that were denied by the mentioned vote, were his "baby".

[@dliessmgg]

One big reason why the swiss train network is so good is the Bahn 2000 project. It originated in a project that aimed to make a new east-west trunkline through the swiss plateau, but when the preliminary report for that reached the government, they decided it's too narrow in scope. So they asked for a report on a complete overhaul and improvement of the system, which landed on their desk in the mid-1980s and didn't take very long to start getting implemented. The first phase of this project was completed in 2005, and we're currently not too far away from the completion of the second phase. also: trans rights & trains rights

[@martinbruhn5274]

I think Switzerland, with where their society is, is a really interesting case. Because, yes, overall, Switzerland is a really conservative country, that quite often feels with some issues stuck in the past. But because of their really unique direct democracy, progressive issues, that have a popular appeal can be very politically viable. If not through the institutional route, then by referendum. On a federal or local level. I have also experienced, that swiss Cantones, despite, or maybe because, of how small they are on average, can have wildly different situations, where they are politically and societally at. Switzerland may be a conservative country, but it's also a vibrant democracy, that produces vibrant outcomes, that aren't limited to swiss conservatism. Also, as a german looking from the outside, it seems like swiss conservatism and patriotism is deeply rooted in its republicanism and in regionalism. So there is an aspect of unwillingness to conform. Which can be irrational, but it can also open space for differences and it can also be antiauthoritarian. Like, I feel like the swiss are stereotypically the type of people who will scoff at anything New and different, bit Switzerland is also a place where new and different things can exist, at times when they can't anywhere else. Because you might be annoyed or angered by it, but you keep it to yourself, because otherwise people might get the idea they could get involved with your stuff and tell you what to do

[@aoilpe]

Swiss here We fought a lot for the rail system we have now at the Urne (voting box ). 98% of all trains from all operators were on time last year ( within 3 minutes )

[@mats7492]

Funding your trains properly leads to good reliability? WHAAAAAAAAT? Having trains run at 2am at all is unheard of in a of Germany, let alone a regional S-Bahn…

[@DanielSutfin-xm3ey]

I wish the us would invest into its passenger trains. It seems that the us only does something if there is a tragity

[@rulipari]

I think Switzerland actually has four official languages, just the fourth language doesn't get served by the SBB thus there is no need for the name in that language.

[@TFTSB]

What's the fourth?

[@marekvahle]

Romansch

[@martinbruhn5274]

One reason, why swiss trains are on average so much more punctual, is because their average travel distances are shorter. 1% time delay translates in more total minutes, if your train is going from Munich to Hamburg, or from Geneva to Zurich. That is just a part of the answer, the rest is, that swiss trains really are just better. And swiss trains are better, largely because since the early 90s, Switzerland made the decision to massively invest in its railways and prioritze them over their roads. And then after that, they just never stopped creating one after the other massive rail infrastructure investment package. P.S.: with Switzerland, it's not almost all of it, but just all of it, that is electrified. Even the privately owned railways, even the narrow gauge lines and even the factory railway accesses are electrified

[@TFTSB]

I will say on the electrification note - I hesitated to say all because I know at least one person in the comments will invoke something such as the Furka Mountain Steam Railway, so that was me covering my ass a bit haha

[@---jc7pi]

This is a excuse Germans have been using with Swiss officials for a long time. And the SBB chief response to that was 'that also means less time to catch up from a delay'. Switzerland has much higher usage density and the network complexity isn't lower compared to Germany.

[@martinbruhn5274]

@---jc7pi It definetively is a factor, but I also did say, the rest of it is the swiss railways just being better

[@arnoldhau1]

While you are right that investment in maintanance and political willpower ist the key, there are some factual errors. Two of those are: Cargo or freight trains do run on the same tracks as passenger trains, which is kind of hard to handle but of course more cost effective and Switzerland does not have 3 but 4 official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh)

[@thomas-xj1hs]

Because they have nothing else to think about…

[@MetroFan12]

I don't think so

[@ernieee42]

they do have the advantage, that they don't have to constantly worry, about poor people using the trains and train stations, since it is illegal to be poor in Switzerland

[@TFTSB]

What an absolutely fucking unhinged comment

[@nashorn9745]

Swiss trains where good in the early 2000's then new low quality low floor trains replaced the good trains from the 60s 70s and now 80s. The last good trains were ordered with the Bahn2000 Projekt the ICN and IC2000. Everything after is just horrible ether bad build quality, a mechanical nightmare or both. They startet replacing the 1970's trams here with new vehicles on my line which I take every day. The only complain the people had about the old trams was the missing AC. The Operator boldly claimed that the new trams offer business class for everyone. The new trams did have AC but are completely horrible seats are uncomfortable and the vehicle fells and sounds like it is falling apart. I used to take the tram about 10-12 times a week now I use the car for everything. I haven't taken a SBB train for more than 20 minutes in over a year.

[@marekvahle]

Well...the thing is the new trains are just so much more reliable, that's why the punctuality keeps going up. Apart from the twindexx, we don't talk about the twindexx

[@---jc7pi]

This comment is just wrong. Yes some orders were bad and some bad trains were bought. But claiming all new trains since Bahn2000 are bad just doesn't hold water. I'm not sure what trams you are talking about, the new trams in Zürich are completely fine. And what kind of golden butt do you have where sitting on a simple chair for a 5-10 minutes is so uncomfortable?