Federal Railways guides commuters to seats

This week at nine railway hubs SBB announcements will guide passengers to empty seats.

The trial is taking place at the stations in Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Olten, Lucerne, Zurich, Bellinzona and Chur, SBB said in a statement.

It will run until May 20^th.

“Sensible boarding means that passengers will travel in greater comfort and will contribute to the trains reaching their destinations on time,” the statement said.

SBB said the number of commuters at peak times and on the busiest days often brought regional transport to the limits of its capacity.

But even at peak times some seats were still available. Seats at either end of trains were often empty.

Announcements this week at the nine key stations are asking passengers to spread out along the platform.

Railways staff are also helping direct people to seats, SBB said.

Loudspeaker announcements after the train has left will inform passengers about spaces remaining.