2023-05-05 11:00:42
At a press conference, SBB presented a construction schedule Friday morning, which will be in effect for at least the next ten years. All main line connections will see their travel time extended by a few minutes.
For example, it will take four minutes more on the fastest connection between Lausanne and Geneva. It will be two additional minutes for Lausanne-Sion, three minutes for Lausanne-Bern and eight minutes for Lausanne-Bienne.
According to SBB, the new timetable should ultimately ensure better punctuality. In 2022, this was, as in previous years, lower in French-speaking Switzerland (89.4%) than the Swiss average (92.5%). This measure aims to minimize the impact of the many construction sites planned in French-speaking Switzerland in the coming years.
Additional stop in Renens
Journeys will also be longer, as most major lines (IC1, IC5 and some IR90) will now stop at Renens station. This will allow some 4,000 daily customers bound for western Lausanne to get off directly at the right stop rather than transiting through Lausanne station, explained the CFF.
Another novelty, the IC5 trains (Biel-Neuchâtel line) will all have their terminus, every half hour, at Lausanne station. For customers traveling between Neuchâtel and Geneva or Morges and Yverdon who have so far benefited from a direct train, it will generally be necessary to change in Renens except during peak hours. Travel time will therefore also increase.
“The Jura arc is hurt by the loss of direct service with Geneva, but out of intercantonal solidarity and so that the major works of the next ten years can be carried out, we ended up taking note of this new timetable without much enthusiasm” , declared Laurent Favre, Neuchâtel State Councilor in charge of transport and territorial development in the 12:30 of the RTS.
>> Listen to Laurent Favre’s interview in 12:30
This reorganization was favored following various studies which showed the impossibility of running these trains systematically in good conditions, in particular on the Lausanne-Geneva axis, very much in demand by main line, regional and freight traffic, and even in the Geneva node, justified the SBB.
new line
Valais will be better served. The frequency of the RegioExpress trains, which currently run once per hour from Annemasse to St-Maurice, will be doubled and the trains will be extended to Martigny once per hour. Finally, a new link will be set up between Palézieux and Vevey. The gain in travel time will be ten minutes between Friborg and Vevey and five minutes between Friborg and Sion compared to the current situation.
>> Nicolas Rossé’s analysis in 12:45
Despite the biggest timetable change in Western Switzerland since Rail 2000, the 2025 timetable will not prevent occasional disruptions linked to major works involving interruptions of sections, such as the planned replacement of trains by buses between Friborg and Bern for eight weeks during the 2025 summer holidays. On the other hand, the 2024 timetable will see practically no changes compared to today.
Emilien Verdon
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