From our member John Fleck I got this message:
I'm sending this to you to show how differently our
Canadian Government
treats our passenger train service compared to your
wonderful SBB!!
If you would like to publish this to the SwissRail
Members, please feel
free to do so!
A billion
for AMTRAK, how much for VIA Rail?: Transport 2000
asks
TORONTO, March 20 /CNW/ -
TRANSPORT 2000 CANADA is calling on Industry
Minister John Manley and
Transport Minister David Collenette to reconcile
the federal government's
loans totalling a billion dollars to AMTRAK, the US
passenger railway, with
its treatment of VIA Rail which is not allowed to
borrow money to upgrade its
outdated trains, tracks and signal system.
In a letter to
the two Ministers Transport 2000 President Harry Gow
notes: "The billion
dollars sent south of the border could have been loaned
to VIA Rail to
purchase new rolling stock, renovate track and crossings,
eliminate all dark
areas, and to collaborate with CP and CN to upgrade all
facilities used by
VIA across the country."
"Please advise at the earliest
opportunity as to your plans to reinvest
in VIA Rail Canada," Gow
asks.
This gives me the opportunity to explain in a few words, how
the Swiss rail system is financed:
Almost all investments in rail infrastructure (physical plant)
are financed by the Confederation and the Cantons with loans without interest.
(Cantons do not have to contribute to main lines.) Trains
using the infrastructure (even the own trains of a company) pay a predetermined
price depending on distance, load an earnings. This price covers about one third
of infrastructure costs. The rest again comes from Confederation and Cantons as
subsidy. This subsidy is fixed in adavance.
In the same way, Confederation and Cantons subsidize Regional
trains (including RX = RegioExpress) for their planned non-covered
costs.
No direct subsidies are paid for long-distance trains (IC =
InterCity, IR = InterRegio, EC = EuroCity etc.) of SBB and BLS. Of course these
companies are free to borrow money for rolling stock
investments.
There is no subsidy for freight trains with two
exceptions:
- narrow gauge freight is subsidized
- combined traffic can get subsidies (TOFC, Container,
accompanied piggyback)
All these subsidies total about 3 billion CHF
annually.
Markus Giger