Night Train Operator to Lay Off All Zurich Staff
A night train operator is planning to lay off its entire workforce in Zurich, raising concerns about the future of overnight rail services to and from the city. The move could disrupt travel for both residents and tourists, as no replacement plan has yet been announced.
- The operator planning the layoffs is Newrest, a contractual partner of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), which handles ticket inspections and services on Nightjet trains. - Up to 30 employees at the Zurich site are expected to lose their jobs. - The transport workers' union (SEV) has criticized the move, suggesting the Zurich-based staff are being replaced by less expensive conductors from Austria. - This development comes as Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has scaled back previous plans for a major expansion of its night train network, canceling proposed new connections to Rome and Barcelona to focus on daytime high-speed routes. - Despite the cutbacks, SBB and ÖBB are still planning to introduce new generation Nightjet trains on the Zurich-Hamburg route in December 2025, and on the Zurich-Vienna and Zurich-Amsterdam routes during 2026. - The layoffs contrast with a recent study by the city of Zurich and Zurich Tourism that proposed positioning the city as a major European hub for night trains and buses, suggesting "jumbo" trains with a capacity of 1,500 passengers. - Demand for international train travel from Switzerland has been rising, with a 25% increase in night train passengers noted in late 2019, and 600,000 people using night trains in 2023. - However, the revival of night trains faces challenges, including high track access charges, expensive vehicles, frequent delays, and occasional service cancellations, which have deterred some passengers.
