Public transport Almost 95 percent of Swiss regional trains arrive on time
Regional trains in Switzerland were on time 94.8% of the time on average last year. Especially those in rural areas. In cities and conurbations, the federal government counted more delays.
12.06.2025, 11:16
SDA
This means that punctuality increased slightly compared to the previous year, according to surveys conducted by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) on Thursday. While six cantons still recorded train delays below the minimum standard in 2023, only four did so in 2024. In Graubünden, Zug, Valais and Vaud, regional trains were late more often than in the rest of Switzerland.
The situation is somewhat less good for buses. On average, 89.8 percent arrived on time - i.e. less than three minutes late. In a cantonal comparison, however, ten cantons fell below the minimum standard (eleven in the previous year): Basel-Stadt, Fribourg, Geneva, Graubünden, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud and Valais.
Improved cleanliness
The FOT recorded greater progress in terms of cleanliness - particularly at the stops, it added. These were not only cleaner, they also provided better customer information and showed less damage. The only fly in the ointment: the functionality of the facilities fell sharply due to a fault in the adaptation of the ticket machine software.
The cleanliness of the trains also improved according to the evaluations - with the exception of the toilets. In the buses, the measured values were better in all areas than in previous years. Among other things, the waste garbage cans, handrails, storage areas, seats, floors, doors and windows were assessed.
Since 2016, the FOT has been assessing the quality of services subsidized by the federal government and cantons as part of a measurement system in regional passenger transport. After all, they invest around two billion Swiss francs in regional transport every year. Based on the results of the quality measurements, they can then demand improvement measures from the service providers.
