Planning of the offer of SBB

Abstract

In his article, the author describes the planning process at the Swiss Federal Railways for
new train service offers for passenger traffic, as seen from the standpoint of the Division
Passenger Traffic. The emphasis is laid on the planning of future timetables, in cooperation
with the concerned organisation units of the other divisions, Freight and Infrastructure. The
discrimination-free planning process for the different time stages is also presented using
various modern planning instruments such as Viriato and Polydrom. Thereby it is clearly
stated that in timetable planning, also much creativity and many innovative ideas are needed
in order to satisfy market requirements. In addition, the timetables form an element of a
comprehensive offer and must be harmonized with the other marketing instruments to reach
an optimal marketing mix.