Swiss Federal Railways recorded 97 cases of track distortion and buckling during the summer heatwave in 2026, according to a specialist team. The company confirmed the figure reported by the SonntagsZeitung, a Sunday newspaper. According to the paper, the total was almost four times that of the previous year. SBB said the increase in track […]
Snow returns to the Swiss Alps after a warm, dry start to autumn
Snow returned to the Swiss Alps on Wednesday after an unusually warm and dry start to autumn, closing several mountain passes. More is forecast this weekend, with up to 25cm expected between the Dents du Midi and the Mont Blanc massif. Webcam images showed peaks including the Matterhorn and the Dents du Midi covered in […]
Hundreds protest against Syngenta over pesticide pollution in Switzerland
Last weekend, around 300 demonstrators gathered outside Syngenta’s chemical plant in Monthey, Switzerland, on Saturday as part of an international day of action against the agrochemical giant under the banner “Stop Pesticides”. Protests also took place in Basel and several other countries, reported RTS. The protesters warned of the health risks associated with pesticides, including […]
Swiss parties submit referendum to preserve ban on new nuclear power plants
An alliance of left-wing and centrist parties has submitted more than 131,800 signatures in an effort to prevent Switzerland from lifting its ban on building new nuclear power plants, reported Greenpeace. Representatives of the Socialist Party (SP), Greens, Green Liberals (GLP) and parts of the Centre Party submitted the signatures in Bern on Tuesday. The […]
Low water on the Rhine pushes up Swiss prices
Low water is making inland shipping less reliable. More freight may move by road and rail, pushing up transport costs—and, eventually, consumer prices. In August the Rhine at Kaub, a key measuring point in Germany, fell to just six centimetres, a record low, according to Reuters. The Rhine was not alone. Rivers across Europe, including […]
Swiss voters look set to reject neutrality and food initiatives
A clear majority of Swiss voters oppose both initiatives due to be put to a referendum on September 27, according to the second poll conducted by gfs.bern for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). More than 60% now say they intend to reject the neutrality and food-security proposals. Support for the two initiatives has fallen sharply […]
Diesel prices hit record high in Switzerland
Diesel prices in Switzerland have risen to a record high. A litre now costs an average of CHF 2.41 nationwide, according to the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), surpassing the previous peak reached in 2022. Since the begining of the year the price has risen 35% from CHF 1.78 a litre. Petrol prices are also climbing. […]
Swiss rail travel hits all time high
Switzerland travelled by train more than ever in 2025. Passengers covered almost 24bn passenger-kilometres, a third consecutive annual record, according to federal data. That was 3% more than in 2024 and confirms the recovery in rail travel since its sharp fall during the covid-19 pandemic. The increase was driven mainly by more journeys rather than […]
A quarter of Swiss buildings now have heat pumps
Switzerland’s housing stock is becoming greener. In 2025 one in four residential buildings was equipped with a heat pump, six times the share in 2000. Among homes built over the past decade, the technology is already dominant: three-quarters use one. Yet oil and gas still heat half of the country’s 1.8m residential buildings. The figures, […]
Most Swiss electricity bills to fall in 2027
Swiss households will get some relief from high electricity bills next year. Prices in the regulated basic-supply market will fall by a median 4% in 2027, according to ElCom, the federal electricity regulator. A typical household consuming 4,500kWh a year will pay about CHF 1,194, CHF 53 less than in 2026. The decline is being […]
