Rail agent
A railway agent is a self-employed trader who takes over the transport work of an operating point on behalf of a railway company for a fixed monthly fee.
history
The railway agencies came into being with the advent of the branch lines . Given the mostly low profitability of these railways, it was uneconomical for the railways to staff them with permanent employees at stations with little traffic. The problem was solved by employing rail agents, who were much cheaper for the railroad because they performed this function on a part-time basis. With the decline of the branch lines, especially after the Second World War, many previously independent stations were downgraded to agencies; on the other hand, agencies were abolished through line closures or other rationalization. With the abandonment of general and express goods traffic and the withdrawal of single wagon traffic from the area, most agencies have also disappeared in recent years.
Duties of a railway agent
The duties of a rail agent are regulated in the agency contract and are primarily of a transport service nature. They include the handling of truckloads, general cargo and express goods and the sale of tickets as well as the administrative work involved in this, such as cash management and accounting. Often other jobs such as lighting the lanterns or clearing snow were carried out by the agent. Operational functions were usually not associated with the agency, but it did happen that an agent in personal union in the operational service e.g. B. worked as a gatekeeper .
Some stops have been created near restaurants. In such cases, the innkeeper often made the dining room available as a waiting room for a fee and sold the tickets there as a rail agent .
Agents at the Deutsche Reichsbahn (1920–1945)
The agency contracts were standard contracts that changed little over time. The agents were billed at a parent station specified in the agency contract . Although self-employed, agents had pension and health insurance through the railroad and were given free tickets. The vacation and vacation regulations of the Reichsbahn did not apply to agents; apart from 14 paid days off, they were on duty every day of the week and, if they were unable to do so, had to provide a substitute themselves - usually a relative. If the representation was provided by the railway, the agents themselves had to pay for their wages. Consumables and work equipment were provided by the railway. The notice period was three months, there were no notice periods in the event of cancellation of the agency or significant breaches of contract by the agent. After the end of the inflation, the annual remuneration for agents was 1,800 RM; by various emergency ordinances this was gradually reduced to 1,440 RM at the same time as wage cuts for the employees of the Reichsbahn.
Switzerland
Many train stations have been automated, so that there are no station masters on site today. Private companies have established themselves there several times, especially travel agencies that are also authorized to sell tickets. A job title for the responsible entrepreneur is “ station keeper ”.