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Swiss Federal Railways recruit train drivers from among passengers

The Local
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Swiss Federal Railways recruit train drivers from among passengers
FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Faced with an acute shortage of drivers, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) are adopting a novel approach to finding new hires.

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Due to a variety of circumstances, including retirement, leave of absence, and employee burn-out, Switzerland’s railways are lacking about 30 train conductors a day.

To fill the gap, the company started to recruit candidates from among the passengers at the Bern, Lausanne, Olten and Zurich train stations, NZZ am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday. 

SBB’s human resources managers mingle with passengers and others passing through the four stations, inviting them to experiment with driving a locomotive simulator to entice them to train for the job.

Interested candidates are given applications to fill out, and will continue with the usual hiring procedure, which involves interviews and psychological tests.

The training lasts between 14 and 16 months. “During this period, you will be employed by SBB and receive a wage,” the company says on its website

SBB’s goal is to hire 1,000 new train drivers by 2025.

Swiss Federal Railways has come under fire in recent months for delayed and cancelled services, and for the practice of skipping stations to compensate for late departures.
However, last week, SBB announced its new strategy  for minimising delays.
 

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