Railway stations to have free toilets again
The public will no longer have to pay to use the toilets at many Swiss railway stations as early as next year.
The Swiss Federal Railways CEO, Andreas Meyer, told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that the adaptations required to make access free of charge will begin in 2012.
Meyer told the paper that numerous passengers who refuse to pay up to SFr2 ($2.16) for access to the public bathrooms use the toilets on stationary trains.
“In communities where we don’t have our own personnel employed at the stations we will still have to work out a deal on how the toilets will be cleaned,” he added.
Meyer also defended the Railways' decision to introduce a hefty hike in fines for passengers caught without a ticket, and a surcharge for anyone placing their bags or luggage on an empty seat.
Both measures came into effect on Sunday with the introduction of a new timetable that sees more trains running on some routes, and a faster service between major Swiss towns and Paris.
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