SBB HARNESSES TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE CAPACITY

This article reviews progress in the development of the railway network in Switzerland. Budget cuts have caused a reallocation of priorities. The planned railway development programme, Rail 2000, requires major changes in the national timetable from December 2004 and considerable retraining of drivers, with testing of new signalling and train control equipment. Introduction of the new services will turn the national railway network into a national rapid transit system with short headways and improved journey times. A new traffic control system based on a central Rail Control Centre and four regional sub-centres will optimise train journeys and clear paths for individual trains to provide more capacity. Some of the development projects may have to be delayed or reduced to meet financial constraints.