I received an invitation to complete a survey from CFF. Funny enough it was in response to my purchasing a Billet degriffe (Supersaver ticket) for travel the other week.
Whilst most of the survey was about whether I'd purchase a Supersaver ticket again (du'h), there was one question where it basically gave me a choice; would I prefer: 10% cut in ticket prices, or Increased comfort of trains (I think frequency may have also crept into this).
No doubt some of you may have received the same survey. But what would you prefer out of CFF (or SBB or FFS, wherever you are) - cheaper tickets, more comfortable trains (presumably better seating and possibly not so cramped plus replacement of older rolling stock, though IMO they are mostly OK), or more frequent schedule?
I note that prices are going up for the next year anyway...
Or in other words new carriages - the current new ones on the ZVV S lines are a joke.
1) The wheelchair access/facilities means the lower deck has far fewer seats.
2) The wheelchair access means that the flow of passengers is increased from the upper deck (instead of a 50/50 split) - this results in considerably longer loading/unloading times - especially in rush-hour.
3) The larger mezzanine levels reduce overall capacity
I would be willing for a clean 2nd class passenger to act as a footrest for me in 1st class, thus contributing to the alleviation of capacity issues in 2nd class
Does increased comfort entail that people are not allowed to smoke freely in the train stations? If yes, then I'd vote for that. I just can't bear it anymore
Increased frequency ( or at least sensible times and not 10 minutes then 50 minutes apart) on the Neuchâtel to Bern route would be very welcome as would price cuts.
See, I voted for price cuts, for the same reasons as quoted that I think most of the trains are comfortable as they are right now, and I'd say for a good 5 years from now they would still be acceptable.
Around the Lausanne area, I wouldn't say the CFF trains are particularly uncomfortable. The only exception might be the carriages (pulled / pushed by a locomotive unit) which frequent the IR services between Geneva Airport and Brig, since they aren't climate controlled (you can open the windows, though many will not do that because they don't like it - not a big deal in winter; a bigger one in summer).
If we factor in the capacity of trains into comfort, and in particular think of S-bahn services, then it might start to shift that way because I know many will think about all the times they have been stuck in peak hour body-to-body with other commuters on a packed S-bahn. But there's no easy solution to that, other than more services at such times, or much longer / bigger (double floor) trains. (Disembarking the second floor of such a train in peak travel with standing passengers will be a real PITA). That said, in my area around Lausanne, that's not such a big issue. (Lausanne metro services can be very packed and it defies logic to send a single unit train rather than a double unit in the peak travel period, but then that's not CFF run anyway).
I don't think that's happening any time soon any more than people being prohibited to smoke in other open public areas.
I find the IR trains from Geneva to Valais quite comfortable (maybe mainly because there are not so many people esp. after Montreux...). Most wagons have AC except for a few old 2nd wagons and I agree that it can be very hot inside in summer (and the toilets dropping poop directly to the ballast, that is TERRIBLE). But anyway the good news is that after the travaux at the St. Maurice tunnel the double-deck train currently running in other major routes will be introduced to Valais so that the old ones will be eventually eliminated.
I'd just like the S13 to run close enough to on time so that I didn't have to do the heart-attack inducing sprint to the connecting train... only to watch it pull out of the station.
Heck, I'd probably even pay a premium for a guaranteed connection... Oh wait - don't tell the SBB that.
(I only take the train once a month, and then off-peak, so YMMV.)
Same comfort as now, same price but make the bloody things go faster!
Wow, Adrian, you live in Switzerland! You're so lucky, the trains are always on time.
Yeah, they're on time because they crawl along the tracks, bounce in and out of crappy stations like Delémont and generally take hours and hours to get anywhere. If they're ever late they simply speed up a bit and catch up.
I very much prefer the older trains (except maybe at the height of the summer when I miss the aircon) as I love those deep soft armcheir seats you can just sink into (in the 1st class that is). The newer trains are so much more cramped and the difference between 1st and 2nd class only marginally noticeable.
Oye. There's nowt wrong with Neuchatel station. It's only made crappy by riffraff who alight there on their way to get p***ed on absinthe and ''champagne'.