Summary

Monika Ribar is stepping down after 10 years as President of the SBB Board of Directors. She sees Swiss Railways operating with stable processes and high punctuality, but warns of serious maintenance backlogs: SBB renews fewer track kilometers annually than necessary (2025: 186 instead of 230 km) because financing is limited. The expansion project "Traffic 45" could become more expensive than planned. Her successor will be André Weiss.

People

Topics

  • Rail infrastructure financing
  • Railway maintenance and backlog
  • Swiss railway expansion projects

Clarus Lead

Swiss Railways are at a critical juncture: despite record utilization and punctuality under Ribar, the infrastructure base is crumbling. While the federal government plans and finances new expansion projects, the operator SBB lacks the funds to renew existing tracks. The backlog is growing faster than it can be addressed – a signal for future design conflicts between ambitious expansion goals and maintenance realities.

Detailed Summary

Ribar emphasizes that infrastructure problems do not stem from current failures but are structural: historically, wear and tear from higher frequencies and heavier trains was underestimated. Systematic assessment of network conditions in 2013 only then created transparency. Since then, "we are running on fumes," as the SBB infrastructure director summarizes. The railway infrastructure fund finances operations and maintenance, but is limited. Detailed planning reveals a need that regularly exceeds available funds.

Ribar expresses ambivalence about the "Traffic 45" expansion. New capacity is necessary (quarter-hour intervals on main lines), but the Federal Audit Office is right: planning to implementation cycles are getting longer, costs are rising. Ribar advises prioritization and regular questioning, not abandonment of planning altogether. She points to digitalization, which may enable other solutions. She will not comment on an individual case like the controversial Grimsel Tunnel – that is political terrain, not an SBB matter.

Key Statements

  • Maintenance backlog is structural: financial framework too small for necessary track renewal
  • 2025: Only 186 of 230 necessary km of track renewed
  • "Traffic 45" expansion carries cost risks; prioritization and flexibility necessary
  • Operational stability and punctuality achieved under Ribar, but foundation remains fragile

Other News Items

  • Single-car freight traffic: Ribar commits to continuation with new business model, not nationwide; requires political support.
  • Governance in SBB Management: 8 men, 1 woman in corporate management; Ribar emphasizes focus on qualifications and deliberate candidate selection, including regional language balance.

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: Is the statement "230 km annually required" based on objective network analysis, or is it a political target? Who independently validates this figure?

  2. Data Quality: The 2013 network condition report created transparency for the first time – does this mean no systematic assessment existed beforehand, or was there only a lack of communication?

  3. Financing Structure: Why are the railway infrastructure fund's maintenance and expansion coupled? Would separate financing not be politically feasible?

  4. Cost Increases "Traffic 45": Which projects are affected, and by what percentage do current estimates exceed original calculations?

  5. Prioritization: What criteria would Ribar apply for choosing between expansion and maintenance if total budget does not grow?

  6. Consequences of Backlog: How does maintenance deferral concretely affect passenger safety and punctuality? Are there threshold values?

  7. Alternatives to Rail Freight: Ribar refers to electric trucks; under what conditions would partial substitution of single-car freight traffic be acceptable?

  8. Successor Strategy: What priorities will André Weiss set for maintenance versus expansion, and how does his approach differ from Ribar's?

Source Directory

Primary Source: "Monika Ribar: It's Easy for Me to Let Go" – Daily Conversation, SRF Radio, 24.04.2026 https://download-media.srf.ch/world/audio/Tagesgespraech_radio/2026/04/Tagesgespraech_radio_AUDI20260424_NR_0021_1e61c83e4a1b4c89b20eb51a48e8ea46.mp3

Verification Status: ✓ 27.04.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-check: 27.04.2026