The Omikron wave leads to a loss of public transport in Zurich. It is unclear whether further such measures will follow.
Tram line 15 will no longer run from next Monday.
The illness-related failures in the driving service due to infections with the Omikron variant exacerbate the personnel situation at the public transport company of the City of Zurich (VBZ). In addition, the forecasts of the Federal Office of Public Health indicate that the pandemic will worsen further.
The VBZ are therefore forced to stop operating tram line 15 from next Monday until further notice. With this measure, the availability of the drivers can be improved and the restrictions for the passengers can be kept as low as possible, they say.
Line 15 was suggested because other tram lines ran parallel to the entire length of the route between Bucheggplatz and Stadelhofen. All stops would continue to be served. The passengers would have to accept somewhat longer travel times.
The primary goal of the VBZ is to keep the other lines in operation for as long as possible. However, the VBZ reserve the right to implement further measures depending on the development of the situation.
Shutting down the line is easier
If the personnel situation worsens further, operations on another line would be completely stopped, says Jürg Widmer, head of operations in the VBZ management team, when asked. Reason: The alternative of thinning the timetable on individual lines is complex and would take about 6 weeks.
After the timetable has been adapted, the staff roster would also have to be adapted in accordance with the labor law. It is easier to shut down a line.
Which line would be specifically affected in the case that one hopes to avoid is currently still being examined, says Widmer. But it is quite possible that it will then hit a bus connection. That also depends on where the bottleneck is greatest. The drivers are often trained for either trams or buses.
But there are a number of employees who could use both systems, says Widmer. This is not only important in the current situation, but also allows compensation in normal operation or, in the event of a disruption on the rail network, the use of replacement buses at short notice.
Due to the obligation to work from home, the number of passengers used by the transport companies has already decreased significantly. The VBZ record this at the Hardbrücke stop. At the end of the year, the number of passengers was around 40 percent compared to the situation before the pandemic.
A decline in the last week of the year is normal. It will be some time before the frequencies reach a level of 90 percent compared to the time before Corona, as was the case last autumn.
Relaxation in Winterthur
In December, two other transport companies had to temporarily restrict their timetable due to pandemic-related absences. Stadtbus Winterthur had slightly reduced the offer on December 6th, but was able to return to normal operation on New Year’s Day. The support of former or early retired chauffeurs and chauffeurs helped.
The Sihltal-Zürich-Üetliberg-Bahn (SZU) only announced on Wednesday that the situation had relaxed. From next Monday she will be able to use the complete range of services again on the S 10, which had to be reduced between the main train station and Triemli during rush hour.
The Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) is currently not aware that there are no other offers in its area besides tram line 15. Unfortunately, however, it can be assumed that there will be further temporary reductions, said his spokesman Caspar Frey. The ZVV is in constant contact with the transport companies and provides information as soon as the situation becomes more precarious.
A coordinated thinning of the timetable, as was the case in spring 2020 with the first lockdown, is not currently an issue. This would have to be done in close consultation with the Federal Office of Transport and the two so-called system leaders for public transport, SBB and PostBus.