When introduced, the FV-Dosto double-decker trains experienced breakdowns. They are now among the most reliable SBB trains, according to company calculations, echoed by SonntagsZeitung and Bahnrevue.
SBB trains break down on average every 13,000 kilometres. During their first month of commissioning in autumn 2019, the Dosto trains encountered problems after some 3800 kilometers.
Subsequently, the reliability of the new trains developed by the railway manufacturer Alstom-Bombardier has steadily improved. Last May, breakdowns only occurred approximately every 17,000 kilometres. The reliability of the Dosto trains was therefore above average. A SBB spokeswoman confirmed these figures to Keystone-ATS on Sunday.
In addition to technical faults, the reliability assessment takes into account, according to the train manufacturer, operational delays due to handling errors, external influences or inappropriate behavior of passengers. The value is called the mean distance between incidents (‘Mean distance between incidents’, MDBI).
No faster turns
The introduction of the newly developed Dosto trains was accompanied by technical breakdowns and massive delays. The CFF had then spoken of a ‘forceps delivery’ and partly criticized the manufacturer. At first, doors jammed, the operating system sometimes crashed, and there were problems with heating and air conditioning. Passengers have also complained about the sometimes unpleasant shaking in the carriages.
In order to improve passenger comfort, the CFF announced at the beginning of July that it was giving up driving more quickly on bends with this train, as was initially planned. The planned journey time reductions – five minutes between Lausanne and Bern and two minutes between Winterthur (ZH) and St. Margrethen (SG) – cannot therefore be achieved as planned.
SBB purchased 62 double-decker trains for mainline traffic for around CHF 1.9 billion. The new Dosto trains will form SBB’s largest fleet in the future. With up to 1,300 seats over a length of up to 400 meters, they offer increased capacity.
/ATS