On March 8, 2026, the voters of Chur rejected the new framework credit for the direct connection between Chur and Brambrüesch with 53.8 percent voting against it. This means that the revised project for a new direct gondola lift from the city to the local mountain has been put on hold for the time being, and with it the hope of a major infrastructure breakthrough.  

However, the result is not a rejection of Brambrüesch itself, but rather a rejection of the scale, cost, and design of the proposed project. This is precisely what opponents pointed out. In their view, it was not the local mountain that was rejected, but what they considered to be an excessive solution. For the future operation of the bike park and the excursion mountain, this means one thing above all: The existing access route will remain in operation for the time being, but the structural problems remain unresolved. The second section, Känzeli – Brambrüesch, is particularly critical. According to the city, it is at the end of its service life and is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.  

This is a particularly sensitive issue for the bike park. In summer, Brambrüesch has long been more than just a classic local mountain: The Alpenbikepark Chur advertises five downhill trails and thrives on the fact that bikers can be quickly transported from the city to an altitude of around 1,000 meters by train. Tourist platforms describe the offer as one of the most varied bike park experiences in Switzerland. At the same time, earlier reports show how important summer business has become for the mountain railways. In 2023, GRHeute even said that summer had "saved" the Chur mountain railways after record-high summer revenues cushioned weak winter figures.  

The "no" vote gives critics momentum for a leaner follow-up solution, but increases the time pressure. Without a replacement for the fault-prone second section, the operation of the bike park, hiking area, and winter sports area will remain vulnerable. The vote therefore provides less clarity about the vision than about the priority. It was not the grand plan that won people over, but rather the realization that Brambrüesch urgently needs a viable, majority-supportable, and operational cable car solution.