Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

On 10 July 2025, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport (FOT) announced government plans to subsidise new international rail services, with priority given to a planned Basel–Copenhagen–Malmö night train. The FOT will provide CHF 10 million a year between 2025 and 2030 to promote cross-border passenger rail, especially night services, following a mandate from the federal government and parliament. Swiss Rail applied for funding this spring. The FOT has approved 1.2 CHF million this year for preparatory work on the EuroNight connection, which is expected to run three times per week in each direction from April 2026. Over its first five…

Ticino is testing an unusual weapon against an unwelcome visitor: the Asian tiger mosquito. The insect, which can spread dengue and chikungunya fever, is abundant in the canton. Local researchers are now deploying sterilised males to curb the population, reported SRF. The method, first trialled in Morcote in 2024, proved highly effective, cutting mosquito numbers by over 90% in the isolated lakeside community. This year the project has expanded to more open areas, including a 12-hectare zone around a hotel complex and school in Losone in the canton of Ticino. Field teams from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts…

The Arolla campsite, perched 1,950 metres above sea level in the Val d’Hérens in the canton of Valais, is to close permanently, the authorities announced on 13 July 2025. The site, which draws around 12,000 overnight stays each year, has been deemed unsafe after repeated mudslides and flooding. The decision, taken by the Valais government, overrides objections from the campsite’s operators, who had hoped to keep the site open during the summer while zoning maps were revised. The municipality of Evolène, which oversees the region where the campsite is located is now seeking an alternative location. The campsite, a former…

Oil heating is making an unexpected comeback in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft, reported SRF. Under a revised cantonal energy law that came into force in October 2024, new buildings must be equipped with low-emission heating systems. From January 2026, the same rule will apply to replacements in existing buildings, provided the system is more than 15 years old. Cantonal legislators are making oil heating, one of the most polluting heating systems, illegal. But ahead of the legal deadline, home owners are rushing to install such systems. Installers in the region report a flood of last-minute orders. We receive around…

Switzerland’s media industry is set to receive a financial boost after a last-ditch effort to block federal subsidies failed to gather enough support, reported RTS. A group opposed to the aid package, which was approved by Parliament in March 2025, admitted it could not meet the required 50,000 signatures by the 10 July deadline. A spokesperson for the initiative told RTS that they left their run too late. By the time we realised the law had passed, it was already late—but we felt it was too important not to try, he said. Support from political parties was thin. With Swiss…

This week, SRF reported that Swiss Rail is using fire trucks to water rails to reduce the risk of buckling and derailment. Sun and summer temperatures can push the heat of the rails as high as 60 degrees. Most lengths of track are welded together. This means there are no expansion gaps to release pressure as the heat expands the metal. Rails are clipped tightly to heavy sleepers and set in compacted ballast, typically gravel. This prevents expansion from shifting the track laterally, forcing the rail to absorb thermal stress instead. A track is considered deformed if it shifts more…

In 2025, the future of banking isn’t being built in glass towers or with marble floors. It’s unfolding on smartphones, where billions of users demand instant, intuitive, and intelligent financial experiences. At the forefront of this transformation is Black Banx, a global fintech force that now serves 78 million customers in 180 countries, committed to putting user experience at the core of its strategy. Black Banx isn’t just mobile-friendly—it’s mobile-first. It doesn’t just serve customers—it builds around them. This approach is not only driving record-breaking growth but also redefining what modern banking means in a digitally-native world. Designing for the…

Switzerland’s Beznau nuclear power plant, the oldest in the country, has shut down both its reactors due to rising river temperatures, reported SRF. The plant, located in the canton of Aargau, relies on the nearby Aare river for cooling. With the river’s water already warm, further discharge from the facility risked breaching environmental limits. Axpo, the utility that operates Beznau, began by shutting down one reactor on Tuesday, followed by the second on Wednesday evening. The move, coordinated with the Federal Electricity Commission (Elcom), the nuclear watchdog Ensi, and the national grid operator Swissgrid, aims to protect the river’s ecosystem.…

Switzerland is sweltering under a heatwave, with MétéoSuisse forecasting the second-hottest June since records began. Temperatures reached between 32°C and 35°C across the lowlands on Wednesday, prompting a level-two heat alert across much of the country. In Ticino, Geneva and parts of Vaud and Valais, where conditions are more extreme, the alert level has been raised to three – see warnings here. A brief respite came on Thursday with the passage of a cooler front, but Friday temperatures rose higher. Weekend highs are forecast to exceed 30°C nationwide, with even hotter conditions to follow. In the southern Alps, a heat…

On 24 June 2025, human remains were recovered in Blatten, the Valais mountain village largely destroyed by a catastrophic landslide on 28 May 2025. The discovery was made during a targeted search operation, according to a statement from the Valais Cantonal Police. Then on 26 June 2025, the local police confirmed that the identity of the remains were of a 64-year-old man who went missing on 28 May 2025. An excavator operator discovered the lifeless body on Tuesday during search and cleanup operations. According to police, he was at his stable in the Tennmatten area. On 28 May 2025, around…