In 1994, 12,000 companies still had connections to the rail network. Now there are only 2,000. It is therefore structurally not possible to bring more goods on the railway. The network is already hopelessly overloaded. Another reason for this: While there were over 130,000 switches and crossings in 1994, today there are still around 70,000 switches. This has consequences: trains can no longer overtake each other or avoid each other. Delays and unreliability are inevitable. They become normal. The railway is actually a robust system. It once worked perfectly, like clockwork. You can remove a few wheels from a good watch and it will still work. However, after the railway reform in 1994, which was supposed to bring the company onto the stock exchange, savings were made everywhere and more and more wheels were expanded, so that the railway is now in an irreparable condition.
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Would a solution be more competition? Does the railway’s quasi-monopoly have to fall?
Yes, sure. The train drivers not only see the high salaries of their board, they also know what their colleagues in other countries earn. Train drivers in Austria and Luxembourg earn significantly more – with much better regulated working hours. In Switzerland, a look at the website of the Swiss State Railways shows that train drivers earn between 70,000 and 104,000 francs. If you’re happy, you don’t go on strike.