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Why Zurich is ranked the best city in Europe for public transport

From excellent rail and bus links to being an early adopter of ‘sharing mobility’, Zurich is ranked first out of all European cities for mobility.

Why Zurich is ranked the best city in Europe for public transport
Photo: Depositphotos

The study took into account tram and train lines, along with bus routes and newer forms of mobility like car sharing and e-scooters. 

Zurich ranked world’s best city for prosperity and social inclusion

The total population of the city and its surrounds was then divided by the available mobility options, while other factors like daily riders, travel times and costs of travel were also considered. 

Of the 1.5 million people living in the canton of Zurich, the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (Zurich Transport Authority) estimate that one in two uses public transport to travel to work or school. 

Easy access to public transport also plays a major role, with a previous study finding that every single Zurich resident lives within 500 metres of a tram, train or bus stop. 

How do Zürchers get around? 

In total, the report found that Zurich residents (Zürcher) are served by more than 60 different tram, train and bus routes. 

The city’s S-Bahn (metro) network, with 171 stations and 26 lines, ranked well for its urban connections as well as those to the neighbouring cantons of Aargau, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Thurgau and St. Gallen.

Approximately half a million people ride the Zurich S-Bahn network each day. 

The Zurich tram network includes 15 lines, while the city is also served by extensive bus connections. 

Although it was slower on the uptake than some other European cities, Zurich now boasts a large range of e-scooter and car sharing options. 

Read more: E-scooters to return to the streets of Zurich

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Zurich was the only city in the report to receive a perfect score for rail and bus links, although the price of a one-way ticket – at CHF4.40 (€4) – was the most expensive of any city in the top ten. 

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TRANSPORT

One dead and four missing after two ships collide in North Sea

One person has died and four are missing from the crew of a cargo ship that sank after colliding with another vessel in the North Sea, German authorities said on Tuesday.

One dead and four missing after two ships collide in North Sea

Two further crew members from the sunken ship were rescued after the collision with a second cargo vessel early on Tuesday southwest of the island of Helgoland, German Sea Rescue Society (DGzRS) spokesman Christian Stipeldey said.

Several ships are currently searching for survivors in the area, it added.

“One person was rescued from the water and is receiving medical care.

Several other people are currently missing,” the agency said.

The ship believed to have sunk was named as the Verity, sailing under a British flag and on its way from Bremen to the UK town of Immingham.

The other ship was the Polesie, under a Bahamas flag and travelling from Hamburg to La Coruna in Spain.

The Verity was the smaller vessel with a length of 91 metres (almost 300 feet), compared to the Polesie’s 190 metres.

The Polesie was still afloat with 22 people on board, the agency said.

The Bild daily reported that a total of six people were missing.

“The emergency services are doing everything they can to rescue the missing people,” German

Transport Minister Volker Wissing said in a statement.

“My thoughts are with the crew members, their relatives and the rescue teams who have been in action since early this morning.”

Cruise ship

Two rescue cruisers, an emergency tug, a pilot boat, a police patrol boat and a helicopter are helping with the search, according to the CCME.

A P&O cruise ship that was in the area, the IONA, has also been involved, the agency added.

“On board the IONA, people can also receive medical care; there are doctors on board,” it said.

Other medical staff were also transported to the site by helicopter.

The search was taking place in difficult weather conditions, with winds of six on the Beaufort scale and waves reaching as high as three metres, the agency said.

The Polesie is owned by the Polish shipping company Polsteam.

The accident comes weeks after a ship with hundreds of electric cars on board caught fire in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands.

The Fremantle Highway was sailing between Bremerhaven in Germany and Port Said in Egypt when the blaze broke out in July.

The accident happened close to Ameland, one of an archipelago of ecologically sensitive islands situated in the Waddensee area.

All 23 crew members were evacuated from the ship, but one person died and several were injured.

Efforts to tow the ship to shore were complicated by poor weather conditions but it was eventually brought to the northern port of Eemshaven.

READ ALSO: Germany’s North Sea coast ‘most affected by climate change’

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