Usually, in summer, we tend to complain that it’s too hot on the train because the air conditioning is too weak… but not because the heating is on full blast. However, this is what happened on Tuesday June 11 in the morning on several CFF trains, as ultimate proof that this start of summer is not at all keeping its promises. For example, on a regional train between Villeneuve and Vallorbe (VD), the radiators, which are located near the feet of seated passengers, were operating at full capacity; As they entered the train, a curtain of heat fell on the commuters.
So, is it haphazard because of certain train drivers who are cautious and generous with heating? No, this is a purely technical question and only concerns trains like those which run on the RER lines. “These trains are equipped with a thermostat. The heating therefore turns on automatically depending on the outside temperature. This must have happened this Tuesday morning because the temperatures were cool,” says CFF spokesperson Jean-Philippe Schmidt.
If all goes well, summer temperatures should eventually arrive and the problem will be reversed: for some, it will be too hot on the trains due to the SBB’s air conditioning choices. “The systems are programmed so that the temperature on board is five to ten degrees below the outside temperature,” recalls the company on its site. Except when there are breakdowns. In 2021, the estimate was 420 technical problems per month out of the approximately 8,300 air conditioners in service. But that only applies when temperatures are summer. On Tuesday, June 11, the difference between the outside temperature and that in certain trains was around 10 degrees. But ten degrees warmer inside than outside.
