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The fact that SBB wants to expand the supply of subsidized sleepers is ruining the car and flight industry.
SBB wants to expand its range of sleepers with new grants.
Photo: Christian Beutler (Keystone)
Carrier and Ait is–National Councilor Ulrich Giezendanner was one of the kindest politicians under the leadership of the Bundestag. But if you irritated him, the thunder would rumble. His son Benjamin, also a national councilor, appears to have inherited his father’s character trait.
This is evident right now: Giezendanner jUnior is foaming over the plan of new SBB boss Vincent Ducrot. You want to expand the night train offer to the additional destinations of Amsterdam, Rome and Barcelona. And because it is a very deficit business, the railroad demands subsidies from the new climate fund.
What bothers Giezendanner: “During the pandemic, the travel market massively collapsed, and many suppliers to non-government supported industries are on the brink of bankruptcy through no fault of their own. ”It is absolutely incomprehensible that the state-owned company SBB is trying to crowd out private carriers with a new subsidized offering.
60 politicians want to return to the head of SBB
Giezendanner is also bothered by the fact that SBB is looking for the climate backgroundin, although its purpose has not even been finally defined. He is convinced that the SBB sleeper scheme subsidies are not helping the environment: the bottom line is that you can “save CO2 much more money efficiently by using it as direct compensation.
Giezendanner has already launched an initiative calling on the Federal Council to stop SBB’s plan immediately. The initiative was signed by 60 national councilors, including moderates such as the FDP’s national councilor, Kurt Fluri.
Benjamin Giezendanner is upset by the plans of the new head of SBB.
Photo: Keystone
In fact, in the affected industries, the Ducrot sleeper project is a pretty bad thing: “SBB’s plan is devastating for the coach industry,” says André Kirchhofer, CEO of the Astag commercial vehicle association. Automobile entrepreneurs are “outraged”. Because in international passenger traffic stof fame SBB in full competition.
“If you make a highly subsidized offerin, that will give the rest to many coach companies, especially in these difficult times, ”says Kirchhofer. Travel more environmentally in a fully occupied coach than in trains, which are generally not completely full.
Philip Kristensen, CEO of Aerosuisse, the Swiss aviation coordinating organization, says: ‘Subsidizing the planned supply of sleepers leads to an unacceptable distortion of competition in the airline industry and otherr privater Transport company. “Most of the money in the climate fund will come from the airline ticket tax, that is, from the airline industry.
Kristensen understands the climate fund: “The money that the airlines contribute to the fund must be withheld, for example, to promote alternative and climate-neutral fuels..“Because the aviation industry must also reduce its CO2 emissions. For certain routes there is no alternative to the plane, for example because there are people who depend on the time saved by planes.
Greens happy with SBB boss
However, for his part, the SBB boss knows the Greens. «The SBB hasben We did exactly what we’ve been asking for for a long time, ”says National Counselor Regula Rytz. The night train subsidy is said to be a match for the competition. Because airlines today have a huge competitive advantage: “While gasoline and diesel are taxed in Switzerland, international flights are exempt from fuel tax. Aviation also benefits from the VAT exemption, ”says Rytz.
AND From his point of view, car companies have a different function than long-distance public transport. “Anyone who wants to travel long distances quickly and in an environmentally friendly way should switch to night trains.”
