Swiss transport isn’t always perfect

January 31, 2011, 5 Comments

The screeching culprit

It has a perfect image both at home and abroad. And to be fair, it rarely goes wrong, but the last few weeks in Bern have shown that when it comes to transport the Swiss are actually as human as the rest of us. Mistakes are made. And to think, it all began so well…

Just a few weeks ago, as this post showed, Bern was celebrating the introduction of three new tram lines. One of those was the number 6, which replaced the much-loved G Tram – or Blaues Bähnli as it was known locally. The tram stayed in its blue-and-red livery but the route was extended out west to Fischermätteli. Big mistake. The old G trams weren’t designed for the hills and corners of the western suburbs, and for the past few weeks they’ve been screeching their way through town, much to the annoyance of local residents. Even in the city centre, you can hear the high-pitched squeal of number 6 long before you see the tram itself. Apparently, it’s all to do with the wheels being the wrong shape; I guess just being round isn’t enough.

After years of planning and construction, you’d think that some bright spark at Bernmobil might have noticed that the ex-G trams aren’t quite the same as the super-sleek new trams that rumble through the city. Even I could have told them that. But no. The route was extended and the screeching began, followed soon after by the complaints. The problem is that it costs too much to replace all the wheels and takes too long to retrain the drivers to operate the newer trams. Solution: replace the trams with buses, initially only after the evening rush hour. It kind of defeats the object of the exercise (to extend the tram network) but at least it’s quieter.

For me, it’s been rather lovely to read about the ongoing saga every day in the paper.  Not because it’s heartening to see that even the Swiss can cock up something. No, it’s because this is rather like being back in Britain, where such mishaps are common: leaves on the line, the wrong sort of snow and new trains too big for the tunnels. Ah, fond memories of British public transport.

The question is now, how long will it be before the problem is rectified? That’s the real test of Swiss efficiency. Buses aren’t a long-term solution but instant decisions are not a Swiss forte. It may take many meetings and many months before a solution is found. Until then both the screeching and complaining will continue. How very un-Swiss.