Record queue over Pentecost weekend at Gotthard tunnel after acccident
A record queue through the Gotthard tunnel over Pentecost weekend in 1999 was matched after a coach from Bavaria caught fire in the A13 tunnel last Friday. Only two people suffered minor injuries while a further 20 passengers were unhurt. The bus passengers, as well as others who had been travelling in three cars near the coach, were able to walk away from the scene and find shelter in the safety tunnel.
Although the accident was not serious, it resulted in a 28-kilometre queue on Saturday, due to the closure of the tunnel. There were also queues on the roads around Graubünden. The waiting time to get through the tunnel on Saturday exceeded five hours. The accident happened at 10.15am on Friday morning, and by Saturday morning at 5.30am the queue was already 16 kilometres long, which reached 25 kilometres by 10am.
But this was not the only traffic jam. Further north, the Seelisberg tunnel had to be closed several times due to heavy traffic. Further south, drivers needed patience at the border crossing to Italy at Chiasso-Brogeda where the queue was 9 kilometres long.
Jams in Graubünden
Due to the closure of the San Bernardino tunnel there were further traffic jams in Graubünden. On the A13 starting at Splügen cars were caught in a 5-kilometre long jam.
There were also jams between Chur Süd and Rothenbrunnen as well as the San Bernardino pass, and also between Chur and Realta. Due to heavy traffic, the main roads between Sufers and Splügen and Nufenen to Hinterrhein were temporarily closed.
Alternative routes
Viasuisse recommended alternative routes on Lötschberg and Simplon, and also the Great St Bernhard Pass towards Italy.
The A13 tunnel could be closed over the entire Pentecost weekend. The amount of damage caused has not been disclosed.
The 28-kilometre long jam between Buochs and the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel in Göschenen UR was the longest in the last 19 years, the traffic information service, Viasuisse, confirmed.
Almost two decades ago, in 1999, the San Bernardino alpine pass was closed because of flooding. This was similar to the situation on Friday when the San Bernardino tunnel was closed because of a fire.
Water penetrated into an oil tanker in Muttenz
An emergency operation was launched after small amount of water got into an oil tanker carrying diesel oil at Auhafen in Muttenz on Friday.
Further emergency units were called to avoid a further escalation of the problem. The content of the affected chamber could be pumped off the ship. No diesel went into the Rhine and there was no danger to the public or the environment, according to the authorities.
The cause is currently unknown and subject to further investigation. The Swiss Rhine Harbour Authorities, fire fighters and the police Baselland were on the scene as well as the accident site command.
Café and fashion in the joint shop of Brändli and Fabiola Moda at Gerbergasse
The former premises of Müller Schuhe at Gerbergasse is still under construction. But sweet times are ahead - and fashionable ones too.
Everyone in Basel knows that the Confiserie Brändli will soon move to Gerbergasse. It will move there with Fabiola Moda, a shop which has been at Spalenberg for 15 years, and which will occupy two thirds of the floor space. «We will have 40 square metres on the ground floor and the entire first floor», Fabiola Fuster told barfi.ch. The remaining surface on the ground floor will be used by the new café Brändli. When Ms Fuster applied for the premises the landlord told him there were other parties interested, which led to the cooperation between Brändli and the fashion shop. Both shops will open on 28thJune.
Before this cooperation, Fabiola Moda had diversified its offers. Spanish everyday fashion and evening dresses were paired with antique furniture, which earmarked the atmosphere in the shop. Customers seemed to like it, since lifestyle is not just about clothes but also furniture.
The culinary offers of Brändli Café will also become more diversified, just as in Arlesheim and Riehen. Seasonal Baumann-soups, a variety of salads, and vol-au-vents, filled with mushrooms or asparagus, said Brändli-manager Michael Grogg. Friandises and pralines from own production will also be sold.
House of Swisscom
The current trend is to have a variety of shops under one roof, and to share premises with other businesses. Grieder at Schifflände has a gastronomy concept on the top floor called «Wild Girls Deli». Before that, the concept store Wicky at Brunngässlein was paired with a bistro. On 30thMay, there will be something new in the new Swisscom shop at Marktplatz. Where the Swiss fashion company had sold clothes in the past, the first «House of Swisscom» will be opened.
In the online-era, Swisscom sees a complete change in shops. The new shop of the future will be a place where «customers meet and talk and discover new products», writes Swisscom in a press release. Further shops should follow in the coming years in other Swiss cities. And of course there should be a café in the new House of Swisscom.
Mad world: Innkeepers sell socks, bakers clothes
Most bakeries sell coffee to go but some also offer soups and salads - Brändli now shares its premises with a fashion shop. The president of the innkeepers' association, Seppi Schüpfer, told barfi.ch: «Maybe we must face the trend by not just selling Sunday roasts or Schnitzel. It would be a possibility to sell socks for 10 francs which cost twice as much in a department store. Maybe the times when meat was bought at the butcher's, food at coop, bread at the bakery, and meals at a restaurant are over.» Yes, maybe the old joke will soon become reality: A customer comes into the bakery and wants to buy two litres of fuel. «Can I wrap it in paper?» asks the shop assistant. «That's not necessary», says the customer, «I have my violin with me».