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SBB boss Vincent Ducrot comments on the poor mid-year result and the lack of train drivers. And he hopes Corona will change the use of public transportation.
Vincent Ducrot
CEO of SBB
SRF News: You had to announce today that you lost almost 500 million in the first half of the year due to Corona. Meanwhile, the number of passengers is increasing again. And parliament decided today to help SBB. Isn’t everything so bad after all?
Vincent Ducrot: Yes, it is still very serious. We lost 250 million Swiss francs on long-distance transport alone. And we have to bear this loss ourselves. We want and must continue to invest. To make up for the loss, we must start with our operating costs. And, of course, we also hope to return to profit in the coming years.
We have to spin each franc three times before we spend it, and then it will be fine.
How are you going to do it?
Like any normal business, turn over each franc three times before you spend it and you’ll be fine. All companies are currently doing it. We have no choice.
In addition to the crisis in the crown, there is an additional problem. They have very few train drivers, 200 trains have been canceled since Sunday. You really can’t believe that.
Yes, that is a very unpleasant situation, I am ashamed that it had to come to this. Our train driver training classes should have ended in the summer. And now because of Corona we can’t finish training until autumn. We don’t plan enough people, and both lead to a very unpleasant situation.
People will travel a little less and travel more in their free time.
Today you said that mobility will change thanks to Corona. How?
I think the home office will be even more important. The world of work is becoming more flexible in this regard. Accurate forecasts are difficult. But people will travel a little less and travel more in their spare time. Trains are likely to be less crowded during rush hours. To compensate for this, we hope that Saturdays and Sundays are better used.
The interview was conducted by Gion-Duri Vincenz.
