Basel-Amsterdam trains to be canceled

From July, the direct daily connection between the Swiss and Dutch cities will no longer be operating.

Commuters who want to travel to and from these two destinations in the future will have to change trains in Manheim, Germany.

This measure will be taken at the instigation of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, which prefers to replace the direct Basel – Amsterdam train with the one operating between Munich and Amsterdam.

Switzerland’s national railway company, SBB, said it “regrets that the daytime train from Basel to Amsterdam will no longer run.”

“However,  travellers will continue to benefit from numerous connections to Amsterdam: either with the night train or with other trains with a change in Germany.”

More tenants take their grievances to court — and win

Tenants’ associations routinely urge renters who believe they are being treated unfairly by their landlord to bring their case to the housing conciliation authority.

Data from the Federal Housing Office shows that in many such cases tenants prevail.
 
In the last six months of 2023, conciliation  boards reviewed 25,544 such cases  — nearly 56 percent more than in the previous semester.
 
Most complaints concern rent increases; an amicable arrangement between landlords and tenants was reached in more than 90 percent of disputes.

READ ALSO: How to solve a dispute with your Swiss landlord 

Zurich tests tram airbags to prevent fatal accidents

A number of people died or were seriously injured in recent weeks in Zurich after being hit by trams.

One solution to prevent more such accidents: airbags that inflate when a tram hits a pedestrian.

This mechanism would be triggered by a sensor on the front of the driver’s cab.

The safety system thought by the Public Transport Company of Zurich, Swizterland.

[📹 albinfo .ch]pic.twitter.com/NHSUhW0Vmv

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) April 21, 2024

According to Leo Herrmann, spokesperson for Zurich’s public transport system (VBZ), the testing phase is expected to be completed in the summer of 2024.

The next few days will be decisive for Swiss fruit trees and vineyards

The risk of damage to fruit tree crops and vineyards linked to late frost is high.

The winter of 2023/2024 was one of the mildest since measurements began and the spring is also particularly mild. This is having an effect on nature which ‘woke up’ two to four weeks earlier than it should, according MeteoNews weather service.

During the weekend, however, a cold front and frost presented a risk to blooming crops.

If, as a consequence of this climatic phenomenon, the harvest will not yield sufficient amounts, there will be less  fruit  and wine grapes available, driving consumer prices up. 

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