Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Government report reveals that some Swiss trains are unsafe; winter-like weather finally arrives in Switzerland; and other news in our roundup on Monday.
In Switzerland, three trains a day run with a deficient security system
A new report by the Swiss Safety Investigation Service (SESE) reveals that every day, three trains with a recognised defect are running on the country's rail network.
This came to light last week with the publication of a report detailing the causes of an accident that occurred in June 2022 in Zollikofen, Bern, when a locomotive collided with a construction train, resulting in heavy material damages (but thankfully no casualties).
The reason for the collision was that the break became disactivated.
“This accident revealed a reality on a national scale: three trains circulate every day in Switzerland with this security system not working properly,” according to the report.
SBB spokesperson Sabrina Schellenberg said that “measures have been taken to deal with this situation.”
Weather update: Gusty winds, lower temperatures
To say that the weather in Switzerland has been unstable lately is an understatement.
From spring-like New Year’s Eve and snowless slopes, to much lower temperatures and abundant snowfall in the Alps, the weather has been changing from one extreme to another.
Forecasts for today, according to MeteoNews, call for “sometimes-stormy gusts of wind, which could reach 80 km/h” in parts of Switzerland.
This is the weather forecast for the week for the whole country from the Federal Office of Meteorology.
It is going to be colder, but the temps are more seasonable now that in the past three weeks.
Basel driver drove a bus without a license for almost a year
The driver continued to drive city buses from September 2020 to June 2021 after losing his license due to a violent altercation at an intersection as well as cocaine use, Swiss media reported last week.
Basel public transport officials did not say how the offender managed to continue driving buses after having his license withdrawn.
On January 10th, the court sentenced the 38-year-old to a conditional prison sentence of 13 months and a conditional fine of 6,270 francs for endangering life, driving without a license, and other offences. There was also a fine of 200 francs for violating the Narcotics Act. In addition, the court issued a five-year ban on working in commercial passenger transport.
The court refrained from expelling the driver, who has a B work permit, from the country. However, this incident may come to haunt him if and when he applies for naturalisation, as was the case for another law-breaking driver:
Frenchman barred from Swiss citizenship over speeding offence
Now Americans know where Lausanne is (hint: in Switzerland, not Sweden)
The Vaud capital has just been given the ultimate recognition by one of the world's best-known US media outlets, The New York Times.
The newspaper has published its traditional annual ranking of the world’s most beautiful destinations. Lausanne is included among 52 cities — the only Swiss location to make the list.
Lausanne is praised for its "spectacular views of Lake Geneva and an explosive architectural and artistic scene."
However, to entice its readers to visit the city, the newspaper has chosen, for reasons only known to its editors, the unflattering photograph of rue Centrale in the middle of rush hour.
This is not the only acclaim bestowed on Vaud’s capital: in 2019, it was named the ‘best small city in the world’ in Monocle magazine’s Small Cities Index, which ranked the best 25 small towns with a population under 200,000 (Lausanne has about 141,000 inhabitants — a relatively big city by Swiss standards).
READ MORE: Swiss town ranked the 'world's best small city'
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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In Switzerland, three trains a day run with a deficient security system
A new report by the Swiss Safety Investigation Service (SESE) reveals that every day, three trains with a recognised defect are running on the country's rail network.
This came to light last week with the publication of a report detailing the causes of an accident that occurred in June 2022 in Zollikofen, Bern, when a locomotive collided with a construction train, resulting in heavy material damages (but thankfully no casualties).
The reason for the collision was that the break became disactivated.
“This accident revealed a reality on a national scale: three trains circulate every day in Switzerland with this security system not working properly,” according to the report.
SBB spokesperson Sabrina Schellenberg said that “measures have been taken to deal with this situation.”
Weather update: Gusty winds, lower temperatures
To say that the weather in Switzerland has been unstable lately is an understatement.
From spring-like New Year’s Eve and snowless slopes, to much lower temperatures and abundant snowfall in the Alps, the weather has been changing from one extreme to another.
Forecasts for today, according to MeteoNews, call for “sometimes-stormy gusts of wind, which could reach 80 km/h” in parts of Switzerland.
This is the weather forecast for the week for the whole country from the Federal Office of Meteorology.
It is going to be colder, but the temps are more seasonable now that in the past three weeks.
Basel driver drove a bus without a license for almost a year
The driver continued to drive city buses from September 2020 to June 2021 after losing his license due to a violent altercation at an intersection as well as cocaine use, Swiss media reported last week.
Basel public transport officials did not say how the offender managed to continue driving buses after having his license withdrawn.
On January 10th, the court sentenced the 38-year-old to a conditional prison sentence of 13 months and a conditional fine of 6,270 francs for endangering life, driving without a license, and other offences. There was also a fine of 200 francs for violating the Narcotics Act. In addition, the court issued a five-year ban on working in commercial passenger transport.
The court refrained from expelling the driver, who has a B work permit, from the country. However, this incident may come to haunt him if and when he applies for naturalisation, as was the case for another law-breaking driver:
Frenchman barred from Swiss citizenship over speeding offence
Now Americans know where Lausanne is (hint: in Switzerland, not Sweden)
The Vaud capital has just been given the ultimate recognition by one of the world's best-known US media outlets, The New York Times.
The newspaper has published its traditional annual ranking of the world’s most beautiful destinations. Lausanne is included among 52 cities — the only Swiss location to make the list.
Lausanne is praised for its "spectacular views of Lake Geneva and an explosive architectural and artistic scene."
However, to entice its readers to visit the city, the newspaper has chosen, for reasons only known to its editors, the unflattering photograph of rue Centrale in the middle of rush hour.
This is not the only acclaim bestowed on Vaud’s capital: in 2019, it was named the ‘best small city in the world’ in Monocle magazine’s Small Cities Index, which ranked the best 25 small towns with a population under 200,000 (Lausanne has about 141,000 inhabitants — a relatively big city by Swiss standards).
READ MORE: Swiss town ranked the 'world's best small city'
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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