- The starting signal for the largest scout federal camp in history has fallen.
- Around 30,000 children and young people are expected this weekend in Goms in Valais.
- The federal camp lasts until August 6th.
The scouts were already on their way early in the morning – with scout shirts, two-tone scarves and large rucksacks. The first children arrived around 9.30 a.m. with special trains and buses, said Colin Vollmer, spokesman for the event, around noon. They are now in the process of exploring their tents and the three-kilometer camp site.
A total of 20,000 scouts between the ages of twelve and 17 were expected on Saturday. The younger ones, around 8,000 children between the ages of seven and eleven, were due to arrive on Sunday. All receive a bandana in the colors of the federal camp, a reusable mug and a song book upon arrival.
Staggered arrival
According to Vollmer, agreements have been reached with SBB, the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB) and Postauto AG. The aim is for the journey to be as smooth as possible. The SBB uses no fewer than 80 special trains for the beginning of the federal camp.
Around 800 customer advisors, as well as members of the organization team, ensure that everything runs smoothly at the stations over the weekend. The tasks of the SBB also include the transport of around 1,500 bicycles and around a thousand pieces of luggage. Because of the federal camp, they also increased the scheduled connections.
For the last part of the journey from the destination stations of the SBB trains to Ulrichen VS, MGB and PostBus take care of it. For this purpose, the capacity of the regional trains between Brig VS and Ulrichen was increased from around 260 to around 1200 people per hour. There are also more postbus connections than usual.
According to the plan, around 7,400 children and young people will arrive via the canton of Uri. Around 120 additional journeys by bus and train were planned there. The connections between Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland and Airolo in Ticino and Ulrichen have also been significantly expanded.
The federal scout camp takes place every fourteen years. This year’s edition was originally scheduled for 2021 but had to be postponed.