Key facts
Every year, the Confederation invests approximately CHF 5 billion in Switzerland’s railway infrastructure, of which about CHF 1.5 billion go on expansion work and some CHF 3.5 billion on operation and maintenance. Throughout Switzerland, 35 infrastructure operators operate and maintain a network of around 5,300km.
The railway infrastructure has to comply with numerous laws, ordinances, implementation provisions and regulations, i.e. the statutory framework. These are mainly regulations relating to security and quality, which may also have implications for project costs.
The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) examined whether economic aspects were included in the preparation, modification and implementation of the statutory framework for the railway infrastructure. The lead unit, the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), focuses heavily on security aspects. The FOT predominantly assesses the financial impact of modifications from a qualitative perspective. The financial mapping of statutory framework modifications should therefore be expanded and the impact assessment pursued.
The infrastructure operators are engaged in efforts to optimise the economic performance of projects while also complying with the requirements of the statutory framework.