Latest news with #SBB
New York Times
26 minutes ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
The Swiss Railways Clock That Still Keeps Travelers on Time
In the 1940s, Hans Hilfiker, a mechanic and engineer, created an electric clock that has become a symbol of Swiss rail reliability as well as a design icon still seen today in homes and on wrists around the world. As an employee of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Mr. Hilfiker was tasked with unifying station clock designs and synchronizing timekeeping across the rail network. He stripped the clock face of Roman numerals and other ornaments, keeping a plain, black marker for each minute on a white dial. Its most recognizable element was a slender, bright-red second hand with a disc at its tip, much like the dispatch baton that station officials were using at the time to signal a train to leave a station. That red second hand swept the dial continually, driven by an electric motor, while the minute hand relied on signals from a central control. 'That was truly a quantum leap in clock design,' said Isabelle Bitterli of SBB Historic, a foundation organized to preserve and showcase Swiss railroad history. 'This design, which is so simple and precise in its function, naturally symbolizes the entire SBB. It represents accuracy, precision, simplicity and a focus on the essentials.' Minimalist clocks, inspired by Bauhaus principles, are visible in many public places around the world. But experts say the Hilfiker clock's reliability and its presence in about 800 rail stations today has ensured its position as an icon of timekeeping. Time Differences Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Axis Bank net profit down 4% in Q1FY26 on rise in slippages, provisions
Axis Bank, India's third-largest private sector lender, on Thursday reported a 4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in net profit to Rs 5,806 crore for the April–June quarter of FY26 (Q1FY26), due to a significant rise in slippages during the quarter, which led to higher loan loss provisions. 'Prudent application of technical parameters for recognising slippages and consequent upgrades impacted reported asset quality parameters, including provisions and contingencies for Q1FY26. Technical impact is largely restricted to cash credit and overdraft products and one-time settled accounts,' the bank said in a statement, adding that 'technical impact' had adversely affected the bank's net profit by Rs 614 crore, return on assets (RoA) by 15 basis points, and return on equity (RoE) by 1.4 per cent. Additionally, the bank said 80 per cent of individual contracts that slipped because of 'technical impact' and continued to remain non-performing assets (NPAs) as at 30 June 2025 are fully secured. 'Hence, we believe that economic loss due to 'technical impact' will be minimal over the life of such contracts,' the bank clarified. In Q1FY26, the bank reported fresh slippages of Rs 8,200 crore, up 71 per cent YoY and sequentially. As a result, the bank's loan loss provisions shot up to Rs 3,900 crore, 2.85 times higher sequentially and 1.52 times on a YoY basis. The bank's provisions and contingencies in Q1FY26 stood at Rs 3,948 crore, compared to Rs 1,359 crore in Q4FY25 and Rs 2,039 crore in Q1FY25. The bank also clarified that Rs 821 crore of provisions and contingencies debited to the profit and loss account was attributable to 'technical impact'. Adjusting for this, the bank's provisions and contingencies would have been Rs 3,127 crore. Further, the bank said of the Rs 8,200 crore of fresh slippages in Q1, Rs 2,709 crore was attributable to 'technical impact'. Gross slippages for the quarter, adjusted for technical impact, stood at Rs 5,491 crore. Due to higher slippages, the bank's asset quality took a hit, with gross NPAs at 1.57 per cent at the end of Q1FY26, up 29 basis points over the previous quarter. Net NPAs also rose to 0.45 per cent. Meanwhile, the private sector lender reported a 1 per cent YoY increase in net interest income (NII) at Rs 13,560 crore, while other income was up 25 per cent YoY at Rs 7,258 crore. According to the bank, the gross NPA ratio adjusted for 'technical impact' stood at 1.41 per cent, while adjusted net NPA stood at 0.36 per cent. The bank's net interest margin (NIM) — a measure of profitability for banks — stood at 3.8 per cent, down 17 basis points from the previous quarter and 25 basis points from the corresponding period last year. Advance growth for the quarter was muted at 8 per cent YoY and 2 per cent sequentially to Rs 10.59 trillion, with retail loans growing 6 per cent YoY to Rs 6.22 trillion; small business banking (SBB) growing 15 per cent YoY; loans against property growing 21 per cent YoY; personal loans rising 5 per cent YoY; credit card advances up 2 per cent YoY; and the rural loan portfolio expanding 5 per cent YoY. Additionally, the SME book of the bank grew 16 per cent YoY, while the corporate loan book grew 9 per cent YoY. The domestic corporate book grew 11 per cent YoY, and the mid-corporate book grew 24 per cent YoY. During the same period, the bank's deposit book rose 9 per cent YoY to Rs 11.61 trillion. Current account deposits grew 9 per cent, savings account deposits rose 3 per cent, and term deposits increased 12 per cent YoY. The share of CASA deposits in total deposits stood at 40 per cent at the end of Q1FY26.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Bottle-feeding lambs, poitin at TOTP & punching megastar – iconic Irish 80s acts reveal incredible secrets of golden era
A TOUR manager for Irish rockers The Stunning gave one of megastars Blur 'a dig' — after mistaking him for a drunken music fan. The Brewing Up A Storm band were making serious inroads in the Advertisement 5 The Stunning's Steve Wall revealed how the shock incident happened Credit: Redferns 5 Blur supported The Stunning at a raucous London gig. Credit: Getty 5 The Hothouse Flowers feature on episode 4 of the Irish Sun's Fields of Dreams podcast Credit: Getty Singer 'Derek, the guitarist at the time, had a tendency to play in his bare feet. One of these b*****ds broke a glass on purpose in front of Derek's guitar pedals so he couldn't get to it — and they were really p***ing us off. 'After the 'What he was trying to do? I don't know. Maybe he just thought like, 'I'll go in and say hello to the lads, I'm from Mayo', or wherever. Advertisement Read more on Field Of Dreams Listen to Fields Of Dreams on 'So we had this tour manager, a big strapping fella from Co 'He grabbed your man and he basically rammed him up against the door, threw him out — got the bouncers to kick him out." So far so good, then. He added: 'So we were towelling down. And then this other guy came in the door and it was Graham Coxon from Blur. I mean, we didn't know that at the time. And he was coming in because he thought he'd left something behind in the dressing room. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun Breaking Breaking 'Tony grabbed him and rammed him up against the wall. And he said, 'I thought I told you to f*** off!' I think he gave him a dig.' Steve added: 'I never got to meet him again after that, but I always wanted to apologise.' Róisín O says Vogue Williams 'fan-girled' over her mam Mary Black Episode 4 of the Fields of Dreams podcast examines the astonishing quality of the scene nationally in the 1980s and '90s which resulted in many Irish bands — including Founder member Fiachna O'Braonain recalls a shock visit from Irish broadcasting royalty while over in London and about to head out and perform on legendary Advertisement He said: 'We get a call from security. They say, 'There's a guy here, he says he's come to see you. He's from Connemara, and he's come all the way over to see you guys, and his name is Sean Ban Breathnach'.' The POITIN IN HAND Fiachna added: 'F***ing SBB is here! So we go, 'Yes, let him in'. SBB arrives in… he had a bottle of poitin with him.' The Fields of Dreams podcast also hears hilarious stories from Sharon Shannon, the accordion star who was propelled into fame with Advertisement Just before her debut album became the biggest selling trad album in Irish history, she toured with the Whole Of The Moon hitmakers for 18 months. Mike Scott decided they needed to tour on a massive bus, which they took to the Shannon farm in the west of Ireland one day. BIG HOOLEY She said: 'I don't know how it even fitted on the road. The road to our house where I grew up is a tiny little road with grass in the middle of it. I don't even know if my parents were expecting us. 'And this huge, big, luxurious bus comes in, drives into the driveway of the old farmhouse at Advertisement 'My mother was putting dinners in front of them. And if they were staying for any length, any long period of time, the bottle of whiskey would be out as well. 'So we had a mighty big hooley, a big session. FEEDING THE LAMB 'And I remember Noel Bridgman, the drummer in the band, had a pet lamb, one of our pet lambs in his lap, and he was feeding the lamb with the bottle of milk. 'I can't get over that. Advertisement 'Real cool, you know, the leather trousers and the beautiful long hair and Steve with the feathers in his hat and all this — and all of them here in the middle of this old country farmhouse having a drink of whiskey and having a big session and feeding the lamb.' This episode also focuses on the charity single craze which began with 5 Hothouse Flowers star Fiachna O'Braonain got a shock visit from from Irish broadcasting royalty while over in London Credit: Redferns The 14-hour gig in Advertisement However, the event was criticised before it even began. Some saw it as doing the work of government, and the fury levelled at its main players left lasting marks on some. These include Paul Doran, who co-wrote the song Make It Work — derided as 'Make it Worse' by some folk at the time — with Christy Moore. Make It Work topped the charts in May 1986. For Doran, the instant fame, his struggles to deal with the attention and the criticism, and then failure to capitalise on what was a good song left a bitter aftertaste. Advertisement 'A BIT OF A SHOCK' He revealed: 'I became very, very well known almost overnight, you know. 'And then to have people kind of criticizing this event that you're associated with and best known for, it was all a bit of a shock to the system really. 'I guess I didn't really know how to handle it. 'So yeah, my thoughts have changed over the years. There are times when I cursed it and thought, 'God, you know that's the only thing I'm known for'. Advertisement 'Tony grabbed him and rammed him up against the wall. And he said, 'I thought I told you to fk off!' I think he gave him a dig.' Steve Wall 'It's a kind of a weight around my neck, you know — it's that kind of thing. 'I didn't capitalise on it at all.' REGRETS Paul continued: 'I regretted that at times, especially when I was on hard times in my life, and I was broke, and you know what I mean, I would say, oh, why didn't you do that?' That followed 1985's Show Some Concern, by a 'supergroup' called The Concerned. Advertisement Mike Hanrahan from Stockton's Wing was among those who joined forces for the single that topped the charts. However, he admitted: 'If I'm been really honest about it, I think it's more of getting your face in the video, you know? 'PUBLICITY FEST' 'Those things… that was a publicity fest for artists. 'Maybe I'm a bit cynical — but what's wrong with that?' Singing superstar Mary Black also lifts the lid on the time Christy Moore kind of gatecrashed her wedding. Advertisement The Field of Dreams podcast harks back to the time when she was starting to make waves as a solo singer in 1980. It was when the She said: 'I got married on March 6, 1980, and the wedding had to be stopped. 'Because it was being aired at half 9 that night, and we all squeezed into this room. Advertisement 'We were down in the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, having a knees-up wedding, and everything had to stop so they could see Mary on television singing on the Christy Moore show.' EPISODE four of Fields of Dreams is out now on 5 The Waterboys star Mike Scott insisted they needed to tour on a massive bus Credit: Redferns
Local Sweden
14-07-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Switzerland's SBB plans new night train to Copenhagen and Malmö
The Swiss government has allocated 47 million francs (€50m) for a new night train which will travel three times a week between Malmö and Basel, via Copenhagen, from April next year. But it's still not absolutely certain it will go ahead. Advertisement In a press release on July 10th, Switzerland's federal government announced that the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) had decided to award 47 million Swiss francs to subsidise SBB's new night train to Malmö via Copenhagen. "These funds are intended to cover the costs of operating this train service. We're talking about track and energy costs, but also the costs of rolling stock and personnel," SBB spokesperson Sabrina Schellenberg told Swiss broadcaster SRF. SBB is planning to operate three night trains each week in each direction, meaning six trains in total, with the service starting in April 2026. The company plans to redeploy the sleeping carriages currently used for its route between Zurich and Amsterdam, with new rolling stock then used on the Amsterdam route. READ ALSO: New international train to run from Copenhagen through Germany to Prague The Swiss government has outlined plans to provide 1.2 million francs in subsidies this year, increasing this to 8.9 million francs in 2026 when the service starts running, with a similar amount then earmarked each year between 2027-2030 It is not yet certain, however, that the Swiss Parliament will give the subsidies, which are part of the country's recent CO2 act, the final go ahead. The parliament needs to give final approval to the subsidies each December when voting on the federal budget. While parties on the left have criticised the government's decision to cut the amount allocated to long distance rail under the CO2 act from 30 million francs a year to just 10 million francs a year, parties on the right are criticising even this reduced level of spending. READ ALSO: Norway begins planning Oslo-Copenhagen night train Advertisement "I believe this is essentially a waste of taxpayers' money, because it is being invested in a route that does not necessarily have a future, and the money would be better used for existing routes," Thomas Hurter, an MP for the populist Swiss People's Party, told SRF. The Malmö route is SBB's only planned new route, with the company focused now primarily on improving the quality of existing night trains, with new rolling stock also ordered for night trains to Hamburg and Vienna.
Local Germany
08-07-2025
- Local Germany
Switzerland's SBB to replace unreliable German trains on key rail route
The tardiness of Germany's trains is notorious, vexing its more punctuality-minded Swiss counterparts. Several times in the past years, the SBB had to take measures to mitigate the impact of chronically late Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains operating on the Swiss network. In 2024, for instance, only about 64 percent of DB's long-distance passenger trains reached their destination on time ; in Switzerland, the equivalent figure was 93.2 percent. Advertisement That is why the SBB instituted a policy of terminating DB trains that arrive in Basel more than 20 minutes behind schedule and transferring passengers onto Swiss trains waiting at the border. Among the chronically late arrivals are DB's EuroCity service from Hamburg to Interlaken Ost, as well as the train from Dortmund to Zurich — both of which are no longer allowed to operate within Switzerland. And now there is one more 'problem' train The DB's InterCity (IC) trains on the Stuttgart-Zurich route have also proven unreliable. Therefore, starting on July 7th, the SBB and Deutsche Bahn are jointly running a replacement service on the Swiss section of the route, between Schaffhausen and Zurich. This train will be used if the incoming IC from Stuttgart is significantly delayed. These replacement trains will be driven by locomotive crews from both Switzerland and Germany. Over the next few weeks, the SBB and DB will monitor the situation and decide whether these measures are sufficient to guarantee punctuality.
