In our blog post «No stabilisation of the SBB despite CHF 3 billion in additional federal funding», we expressed our position on Motion 22.3008. In this post, we summarise the voice of the industry and interest representatives in response to the Federal Council’s proposals in the report of 16 December 2022. The business community rejects the financial injection of 3 billion Swiss francs to the SBB and instead calls for corporate responsibility.
This is what it’s all about:
- SBB confronted with poor results in long-distance traffic due to pandemic
- Economy rejects financial injection of 3 billion Swiss francs and calls for entrepreneurial solution
- A clear “no” to the misappropriation of the HVF
- Change of system for loans welcomed
- Market liberalisation in long-distance transport divides the economy
Motion 22.3008 «Support for the implementation of SBB investments and a long-term vision in Covid-19 times» demands that the Confederation take over SBB’s deficits in long-distance transport. In its report of 16 December 2022, the Federal Council sets out its proposals for financing SBB. It proposes a one-off capital grant of an estimated 1.25 billion Swiss francs and wants to reduce the track access charges for long-distance traffic with a further 1.7 billion Swiss francs. This subsidy is to be secured financially by crediting the full proceeds of the performance-related heavy goods vehicle charge LSVA (federal share) to the rail infrastructure fund. The aim of the measures is to compensate for SBB’s losses in long-distance traffic from 2020 to 2022 and to comply with the upper limit of its net debt.
No to the financial injection, yes to the waiver of vault loans
The business community – represented by Economiesuisse, SGV, CFS, Astag and VAP – and the pro-business parties FDP and SVP reject both the proposed cash injection and the misappropriation of the HVF for the benefit of long-distance transport by a clear majority.
They are equally united in welcoming the system change in the granting of loans and call for the abandonment of vault loans. A majority sees the capital market as the solution for financing in the commercial sector. A minority can also imagine certain federal loans from parliament for this purpose. Overall, transparency in the commercial and subsidised sectors should be increased.
Entrepreneurial responsibility demanded
Instead of the Confederation assuming SBB’s losses as a result of the Covid 19 crisis at the taxpayer’s expense, the state railway should bear entrepreneurial responsibility. To this end, it has various market-based measures at its disposal to bring operating costs and investments in line with supply and prices. Realistic examples are cost savings, price increases or the sale of real estate not required for operations.
Designing a train-path pricing system that is fair to the polluter.
SVP, Economiesuisse, SGV, CFS and VAP reject a reduction of the train path price for long-distance traffic. The FDP and Astag can imagine a shared solution between the federal government and the SBB. The Swiss train-path pricing system is not designed in a way that is fair to the polluter; freight transport is burdened too heavily. The stakeholders agree that the HVF should not be misused to solve this problem. Instead, the Confederation should continue to use the federal share of the HVF to steer and increasingly for the decarbonisation of road, rail and shipping.
Disagreement on market opening
The freight transport-related associations Astag, CFS and VAP are calling for a migration strategy to open up the market in long-distance transport in line with the European Union (EU). Here, the other business representatives and parties close to the economy show a greater willingness for realpolitik demands. Whether this Swiss realpolitik can be maintained for long on the European stage remains to be seen.
Positions in wording
You can find our complete hearing response of 7 March 2023 as a download on our website:
You can download further consultation responses here:
