How does the Swiss public transport embody Switzerland and Swiss people?
In 2008, Swiss Federal Railways (or SBB) ran 95.8 per cent of trains on time, compared to 95.9 per cent the year before. That's it. A drop of 0.1 per cent and it becomes a news story. Foreign train companies would be dancing on the rails if they achieved such figures (the UK national figure is 90.6 per cent), though the definition “on time” can be even stricter in Switzerland. The European norm of it meaning five minutes late is widely used, except for Bern-Zurich main line. There SBB sets itself a three minutes target - and achieves it 92.4 per cent of the time. The rest of the world can only look on it wonder. (Bewes, 2010)
For the Swiss, punctuality is not merely a nicety but it is a source of deep contentment. Before I arrived in Switzerland I had some stereotype of Swiss people and punctuality was one of them. I have to concede that it turned at to be true.
How does the Swiss public transport embody Switzerland and Swiss people?
According to Diccon Bewes the SBB trains are clean, comfortable, and nearly almost on time. I do admit that I completely agree with him. Indeed through my four months in Switzerland I have noticed that the stereotypes explained below were true.
If there is a value that is shared by almost everyone in Switzerland, it is that of punctuality. Trains arrive on time, likewise the payment of bills, and people even turn up early. Taking the Swiss railways are part of my daily routine. Four days a week I use the Swiss railways to catch a train from Bern to Olten. I really trust the SBB company because their trains are never late (or I have never taken one that was delayed). The extreme punctuality not only concerns trains but it represents also Swiss people: the Swiss are always on time. Swiss students arrive before the beginning of the class. This obsession with punctuality has something to do with Protestantism and watchmaking which is a traditional industry. Nevertheless as Diccon Bewes mentioned it 4.2 per cent of Swiss train are late, warranting loudspeaker apologies and the delaying of connecting services. I think also punctuality depends on the canton of the trains. When I went to Lugano the buses were more flexible on the hours than the ones in Bern. Perhaps to be on-time reflects the Swiss way of life: Germanic rigor or Italian dolce vita.
The Swiss railways have an important role in tourism by making you discover the different cantons of Switzerland. With its 3,000 km of Swiss railways covered in the all Switzerland, passengers can enjoy the lovely and impressive Swiss landscapes - mountains, lakes and countryside - that are even more beautiful depending on weather. The trains are comfortable and possess several sport equipment: bikes have their own racks or own compartments as well as ski or snowboard gear. By travelling by train everyday it begins common for me to meet people with their ski, their hiking shoes or their walking pole at Bern station. The concentration of Swiss sportive people increases by getting closer from hiking/skiing sites as Grindelwald or Interlaken. I was quite surprised by the age of this people given that most of them are elderly people.
Besides Swiss people, I can meet in the trains Asian tourists or travelers from neighboring countries (France, Germany and Italy) who go to Switzerland to work or visit. No matter the train comes from, you are able to use not only Swiss train but German (ICE) or French (TGV) ones. This diversity of people is also one of the key element that defines Switzerland where in a same country there are 4+1 national languages (German, French, Italian, Romansh and English).
Moreover, as the scale of the country, the distances between two cities by railways are very fast. To travel from the West to the East (Basel-St Gallen) or from the North to the South (Zürich-Lugano), it only takes two hours. It is not the same in the USA. For example, when I have heard about the distance between Bern and the FHNW university I could not imagine that it will be possible to do 60km in less than half an hour. This incredible railways connection explains that annually, the Swiss travel an average of 2,258 kilometres per person by rail, by far the highest in the world.
I think also that Swiss people are very peaceful and are not hurry. Actually as the Swiss people the Swiss railways were rather slow to embrace the new technology because compared to England or Germany (who went fullsteam ahead in the mid-nineteenth century), the first station in Switzerland opened in 1845. (Bewes, 201O) That plans could not agree because of cantonal quarrels over rights and permits to build the lines. This example illustrates what I have noticed from Swiss people: they take their time and are slow to take decisions.
However, the SBB railways also illustrate one of the key asset of Switzerland: innovation. The longest tunnel in the world known as Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) opened to traffic on December 11th. This tunnel - destinated to facilitate trade between northern and southern Europe - is 57 km long, crosses the St. Gotthard in the Alps and took 17 years to build and cost of over 11.2 billion euros.
Moreover the way of life in the train reflects also the behavior of Swiss people. People are very polite: they ask you if the seat is available, they always wait for everyone get out of the train before get in it, and even the ticket inspector always says merci. The trains are also comfortable and spacious, people work by using the shelf and are respectful towards the others (they do not speak loud or use their smartphone). Toilets are clean too. Maybe it emphasizes the Swiss organization. I think also that the trains as well as the country is very safety. Day and night I feel in security. I feel free to leave my bag on a seat if I go to the toilet or for looking at my phone without hanging strongly it, I know that nobody is going to steal me it.
Finally Switzerland is well know to be a country with high living cost. Indeed by comparing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 119 countries around the world, Switzerland is the country where the cost of living is the most expensive with a CPI of 126.03 (MoveHub, 2016). According to a survey from Economist Intelligence Unit, Zurich and Geneva are one of the world’s most expensive city, respectively ranking at the 2nd and 4th place.
Travelling by train does not do an exception at its rules. Travelling is expensive: an average of 50€ per single ticket. However, there is a abonnement known as GA (Generalabonnement) whose other 5 per cent of the population has one. (Bewes, 2010) It costs annually 3860Fr a year for a 2nd class or 6300Fr for 1sr class. (SBB, 2016) Even if it is expensive I think it really worth it because you can visit the all country where as it covers only zones 1-7 in London Diccon Bewes argues. Compared to the others railways companies the SBB uses a unique price: buying a ticket two weeks or two minutes before your trip makes no difference, and you can catch any train at any time. (Bewes, 2010)
Swiss VS French public transport
This part focus on the two main differences between my experiences towards my daily routine by taking the Swiss public transport compared to what I am used to in France.
The first one and I could said the most important one is punctuality. In France, it is common that trains are running late. I just get back one time in France for Christmas Holidays and as well as the return trip the trains was 15 minutes of delay. Since the beginning of December, the SNCF decided to apply a Brussels text which provides for the systematic compensation of travelers within 30 minutes of delay (Pauline Chateau, 2016). In France, I am more used to travel by bus or by metro than train (only to go in other big cities in France) because I live in a Parisian suburb at 10 minutes by metro from the historical center of Paris. To take a bus I could stand around for 15 minutes waiting for a bus in Paris even if it is written that it is arrived while in Switzerland the bus would be there - in most of the time - on the dot. In addition the repeated strikes in France block rail traffic.
Secondly, I still have some difficulties to adapt at the peaceful way of life of Swiss people. In the train station, they walk so slowly that I have the feeling to descend a ski slope by zigzagging from the left to the right. In Paris, metro stations are hives of activities during rush hours. People are busy and walk fast, so I need to follow the movement. Every morning it is like a “war” to find my path among the hundreds of workers, especially if I take the metro at La Défense which is the business center in Paris. However, I do say that this calm atmosphere and serenity are really pleasant in the Swiss train as I am sitting on a seat and not standing in an overcrowded coach like I am used to in Paris.
Sources:
Bewes, Diccon - Swiss Watching.
SBB - http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/railpasses/ga/overview.html
Illustration - http://www.enotrac.com/media/img/cartoons/en/2011/2011_2_Kaese.jpg