Today the Ceneri Basis Tunnel will be opening to train traffic between Bellinzona and Lugano. This 15.4 km long tunnel took 12 years to build and cost 3.6 billion francs; it will cut train travel to the south by 20 minutes, but more importantly it is contributing to making transport of goods from Rotterdam all the way to Genoa easier. Unfortunately work is not finished on either the German, Dutch or Italian sides so linking the two seas with one train is not quite a reality yet.
Less long but closer to home the 500 meter tunnel in Küssnacht opened yesterday. 14 000 cars are expected to bypass downtown and use the tunnel instead. This project cost 126 million francs and lasted 5 years.
They might have once sounded like money from a science fiction game, but Bitcoins are becoming increasingly accepted, so much so that as of February 2021, people paying taxes in Zug will be able to do so using Bitcoins or Ether.
A horrific drama took place in St Gallen when a 22 year old man broke into an appartment and brutally murdered a 46 year old woman by repeatedly hitting her with a blunt instrument. The police were quickly on the scene but the man continued his attack and was shot dead by the officers. The reason behind the attack is not known.
After Black Friday, there now is a new shopping day known as Local Shopping Day, it will be pioneered by the shops of Lucerne on September 12. Be sure to go downtown and shop local to receive great deals as well as music and food.
