SBB launches new FV-Dosto train; Edelweiss airlines expands its routes; Switzerland’s heaviest pumpkin weighs 651 kgs

News for 6 October 2026

The first long-distance double-decker FV-Dosto train, with modified bogies, will enter regular service, SBB, announced. It will offer a smoother and more comfortable ride. The SBB fixed technical glitches – including jamming doors, operating system crashes, and problems with heating and air-conditioning systems. Passengers also complained of an unpleasantly bumpy ride in some carriages – problems that are fixed in the revamped train.

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Edelweiss airlines is increasing its capacity on several popular holiday routes. The sister airline on SWISS will deploy a significantly larger aircraft – Airbus A340 – to Gran Canaria. This means more passengers will be able to fly to this Spanish island located off the coat of northwestern Africa.

An Airbus A340-300, with a 314-passenger capacity – will be used on flights to Tenerife, as well as Rhodes. Flights to other parts of Greece will also have “significantly more capacity,” the airline said. The service to Mallorca will be expanded with several additional flights and larger aircraft.

What about SWISS? Unlike Edelweiss, which flies exclusively to popular holiday destinations, SWISS is oriented toward more inclusive travel, including business flights. The airline will have non-stop flights from Zurich to Bengaluru, India. EasyJet is also expanding its offerings. Specifically: from Zurich to Pristina; from Geneva to Rennes; and from Milan Linate to Geneva.

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The heaviest pumpkin in Switzerland, weighing 651.5 kilos, was grown in a private garden in Zurich. This is the third consecutive year that the grower won the Swiss championship.

Florian Isler set three Swiss records: the heaviest specimen of the Bushel Gourd variety weighing 136 kg, the tallest sunflower (7.6 metres) and the heaviest watermelon (97 kg).

Other Swiss and world records for giant vegetables were also broken. The Meier family, from Dättlikon, now hold the world record for the heaviest sweet potato (single tuber) at 13 kg. Jürg Wiesli, from Dozwil, broke the world record for the longest chilli, measuring 54 centimetres.

The current record for a pumpkin stands at 1,054 kilograms. The world record is 1,278 kilograms. During the competition, the vegetables were transported using a forklift truck.