SBB Starts Bitcoin Pilot Program; Bern Proposes Relaxed Citizenship Rules; Basel Brewery Expands To Zurich; Renovation Set to Begin for Basel SBB

News For 1 November 2016

The Swiss Rail operator SBB announced on Friday it is embarking on a two year pilot program selling Bitcoins in its automated ticketing stands.  In addition to buying railway tickets, you'll be able to scan a QR code displayed by the machine with your Smartphone which will load your device with up to 500 Swiss Francs worth of the so-called Cryptocurrency.  Oddly, SBB will still not accept Bitcoin as payment for its rail services, preferring old-fashioned dinero for the time being.  You'll be able to use the Bitcoins at any vendors throughout Switzerland, and the world for that matter, that accept it as payment.  In order to use the service, its worth noting that the pilot version of the program will only work when you use a Swiss based smartphone service.

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Unlike in many other countries, people born to non-Swiss parents in Switzerland are not automatically granted citizenship.  In an effort to address the large number of foreign residents that Switzerland has, the government has been debating new rules meant to ease their naturalization.  Specifically, a simplified set of naturalization rules are meant to be established for third generation immigrants.  The rules will be applicable to anyone up to 25 years old, in order to discourage those eligible from shirking their military duty by waiting to apply.  Because the rules require a change to the constitution, the issue has been scheduled for referendum in mid February of 2017.  

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The west wing of the Basel SBB has been slated for renovations to begin at the end of 2017.  The project, which is expected to last 4 years and cost 82 million Swiss Francs will see the corridor connecting the Migros to the French side of the rail station closed during the construction period.  Current commercial tenants will be put in temporary spaces while the work is done.  The priority of the work is to improve the aesthetic appeal of the corridor and lobby, and expand pedestrian walkways.  During the period of time while construction takes place, passengers disembarking from trains on the French side of the station will need to walk outside.  In addition, plans call for 700 more bicycle parking spaces adjacent to the train station's West wing, 500 covered and 200 outside.

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Basel's Ueli brewery has big expansion plans in mind.  Starting soon, Zurich based bars and restaurants will begin offering a new label called "Ueli Forte", named after the brewery and in honor of the FC Zurich football club manager, coincidentally also named, Uli Forte.  Eva Nidecker, granddaughter of the Brewery's founder is also the marketing and media director for  Ueli, and came up with the idea to exploit the name connection between the beer and the football club manager.  Despite the rivalry between Basel and Zurich, advance word and taste tests have found a receptive audience.