CFF points to major challenges in near future
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The present looks rosy, but the future less so, Switzerland’s CFF rail company indicated Friday oring 16 April in its annual report. Traffic rose in 2009, more passengers arrived on time, and profits were up, but the company says heavy investments are necessary to guarantee the current level of service.
Profits rose by 7.2 percent to CHF369.8 million. Passengers were up by 1.5 percent to 327.5 million and 88.2 percent of travelers arrived on time or within three minutes of their scheduled arrivals, one of the world’s best figures for punctuality.
The profits benefited from a one-time CHF239.3m sale of real estate, however, and cargo sales were down by more tan 7 percent. In addition, the company faces several challenges, especially in meeting growing customer demands. A target of travelers making their connections 97.4 percent of the time was narrowly missed and a priority for 2010 will be to improve the figure.
CFF report press release
[…] Swiss rail customers made nearly 97.4 percent of their connections and nearly 90 percent of trains arrived on time or within three minutes in 2009, so forget about planes for a few hours and take the train somewhere pleasant. […]