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ZURICH

Switzerland’s ETH uni among ten best in world

Zurich's ETH university has taken ninth place in the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings released on Thursday but the institution's director warns funding cuts remain a threat.

Switzerland's ETH uni among ten best in world
Zurich's ETH university is the first non-Anglo-American institution to make the THE top ten in a decade. Photo: t-mizo/Flickr

The university, also known as Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, was the only institution outside the UK and the US to make the top ten, and the first non-Anglo-American university to scale those heights in the last decade.

The top-ten position in the Times Higher Education rankings is also a first for the university with around 18,000 students, and means the university has moved up four places since last year.

It sees the institution rubbing shoulders with the California University of Technology, which came first in the rankings, and the University of Oxford, in second place. 

The result also follows up from ETH's recent top ten placing in the authoritative 2015/16 QS World University Rankings.

“I am positively surprised and delighted that ETH Zurich has now made the leap into the world’s top ten in the THE rankings,” said ETH President Lino Guzzella in a statement published on the university's website.

“The highly qualified professors, staff and outstanding ETH students are to thank for this fantastic result,” he added.

The Times Higher Education rankings, which comprises a list of the 800 best university in the world, saw the ETH score particularly well in terms of international outlook and research, as well as on citations garnered.

Praising the university's strong showing, the ETH president noted, however, that the ranking itself was secondary.

“It is and will remain a priority for us to stay among the leaders,” Guzzella said.

The president also called on politicians to ensure a threatened reduction in funding levels to the university didn't taken place.

“ETH requires stable funding to maintain its position as a global leader in research, teaching and training,” he said.

The ETH result reflects a strong year for Europe with the number of UK institutions in the world's top 200 up from 29 in 2014 to 34 this year.

Germany also performed well, with with 20 universities in the top 200 up from just 12 in 2014. 

“Germany is one of the standout performers, in terms of the positions in the upper echelons of the ranking it's really strengthened its position,” Phil Baty, editor of the rankings, told The Local. “It's third in the world top 200, significantly better than last year.”

The ETH's sister institution, the EPFL in Lausanne, also did very well in the Times Higher Education study, coming in at a more than respectable 31st place. 

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ZURICH

Swiss rail to close ticket counters in Zurich, Bern, Vaud, Ticino and Zug

Switzerland’s Federal Railways (SBB) will be removing the ticket counter from nine stations in the cantons of Zurich, Vaud, Bern, Zug and Ticino

Swiss rail to close ticket counters in Zurich, Bern, Vaud, Ticino and Zug

The SBB made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the decision was made due to a lack of demand. 

Instead, commuters will need to buy tickets from automated machines. 

In the canton of Zurich, the ticket stations in Dietlikon, Hinwil, Kloten, Männedorf and Oberwinterthur will be closed. 

In neighbouring Zug, Cham’s ticket counter will be closed, while the Herzogenbuchsee station in Bern will also go fully automated. 

MAPS: The best commuter towns when working in Zurich

In Latin Switzerland, Pully in Vaud and Biasca in Ticino will see their ticket counters closed. 

The SBB told Swiss news outlet Watson that approximately 95 percent of ticket sales are now made via self-service machines or online. 

The advent of navigation apps has meant the need for personal advice on directions and travel has fallen, particularly in smaller areas or stations with lower traffic. 

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