SWITZERLAND: The Swiss Federal Administrative Court upheld SBB’s immediate dismissal of a locomotive driver after concluding that he read a book while operating a train, creating a serious distraction.

Swiss court upheld SBB’s dismissal of a driver found reading while operating a train, citing distraction and broken trust.
Swiss court upheld SBB’s dismissal of a driver found reading while operating a train, citing distraction and broken trust.

The incident occurred on the evening of 15 May 2025. Three Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) employees on a station platform noticed the train entering with the light on in the driver’s cab and then saw the driver holding an open book.

Witnesses Saw the Book Open as the Train Departed

The employees photographed the driver while the train was stationary and reported the incident. According to the evidence considered by the court, he then set the train in motion again while continuing to read.

The driver denied reading while the train was moving. He said he was carrying out a “memory exercise” using a handwritten note and that the book served only as a surface on which to rest the paper. He maintained that he read the book itself only during waiting periods at stations.

He also admitted driving at night with the cab light on, explaining that he used it to remain alert.

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Court Says the Distraction Broke Trust

The Federal Administrative Court rejected the driver’s explanation. Photographs showed the book open, and the judges noted that a closed book would have been more practical if it had served only as a writing surface.

The court concluded that he had been reading both while the train was stationary and while it was moving. It considered the conduct a serious breach because he deliberately engaged in an activity that could distract him from operating the train. The judges also said that even the claimed memorisation exercise would itself have been problematic because it was unrelated to driving.

SBB suspended the employee from duty and on 16 June 2025 ordered his immediate dismissal. He had worked for the railway for 15 years before challenging the decision.

The court found that the relationship of trust between the employee and SBB had been compromised and upheld the dismissal. The source does not identify the station or railway line involved and does not disclose the title of the book.

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