Dispatchers and operators: a comparison

The job of the dispatcher in the Zurich regional dispatching center is one of coordination and optimization.

Compared to the dispatcher, the role of the operator at the Altstetten control center is traffic control with a more detailed, shorter-term focus (Feindisposition and Kurzzeitdisposition).

For example, the Zurich dispatching center is more interested in the order in which trains run over a section of line, whereas the Altstetten multi-station control center will be concerned with setting the train routings that allow this to happen.

The dispatchers in the three SBB dispatching centers, including Zurich, have no direct control over the systems related to safety. In other words, they do not directly control the reservation of the route for a particular train and the setting of turnouts and signals that this entails. This is the responsibility of operators at local stations and centers like Altstetten.

This may change, however, in the future.