Bern–Neuchâtel railway

The Bern–Neuchâtel railway is a Swiss railway that was opened on 1 July 1901 by the Bern–Neuchâtel Railway (Bern-Neuenburg-Bahn). It is now part of the BLS AG network and is also called the Direkt Linie (direct line), because it crosses the Grand Marais in an almost straight line. In addition, the connection is part of the shortest railway line between Bern and Paris.

Bern–Neuchâtel railway
Level crossing in Kerzers with train to Bern
Overview
Line number	305
Termini	Bern Neuchâtel
Technical
Line length	41.96 km (26.07 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Maximum incline	2.2%
Route map km elev to Olten and Biel to Thun and Lucerne RBS line from Worblaufen and Worb 0.12 Bern 540 m Donnerbühl (401 m) 2.18 Weyermannshaus Spw. 551 m to Lausanne 2.54 Holligen 551 m 2.54 BLS lines to Belp and Thun Schwarzenburg 3.31 Bern Stöckacker 551 m 4.20 Bern Bümpliz Nord 554 m Bern Brünnen Westside 5.64 Niederbottigen 560 m 8.49 Riedbach 568 m 11.45 Rosshäusern 580 m Rosshäusern tunnels l: old (1,103 m) r: new (1,910 m) 15.00 Rüplisried-Mauss 520 m Gümmenen Viaduct over the Saane from Flamatt 17.00 Gümmenen 494 m 18.85 Ferenbalm-Gurbrü 494 m bridge over the A1 from Palézieux 22.17 Kerzers Keilbahnhof 443 m to Lyss 26.44 Müntschemier 436 m TPF line from Fribourg ASm line to Biel/Bienne 29.79 Ins 438 m 33.24 Gampelen 433 m Fanelwald 35.21 Zihlbrücke 436 m 36.72 Marin-Epagnier 450 m 38.74 St-Blaise-Lac 432 m 42.08 SBB line from Olten 42.08 76.14 Neuchâtel Est 480 m 75.29 Neuchâtel 479 m to La Chaux-de-Fonds to Yverdon and Pontarlier Source: Swiss railway atlas

Route

Neuchâtel with train arriving from Bern

The line was initially designed as a single track line for its full length. For the most part, it is still single track, but it is gradually being doubled.

The Bern–Holligen (BLS depot) section is shared with the Bern–Belp–Thun railway (Gürbetalbahn) and the line to Schwarzenburg.

There was a connection to the Flamatt–Gümmenen railway (Sensetalbahn—Sense Valley Railway) in Gümmenen between 1904 and 1993.

Immediately in front of Kerzers station, the line crosses the Palézieux–Kerzers railway (Broyelinie–Broye line) at a 60° angle. This is the only full crossing of two standard gauge railway lines in Switzerland. The station complex is designed as a Keilbahnhof (literally "wedge station"), a station located between branching tracks.

With the opening of this line, the Fribourg–Ins railway (French: Chemin de fer Fribourg–Morat–Anet) was extended from Murten to Ins; this section was also opened on 1 July 1901. The metre-gauge Biel–Täuffelen–Ins railway (Biel-Täuffelen-Ins-Bahn) has ended at the station forecourt since 19 March 1917.

In Neuchâtel, the route meets the existing Biel–Neuchâtel railway, which runs along the foot of the southern Jura. Lines branch from Neuchâtel station to Yverdon, Pontarlier and Le Locle.

Electric train operations on the Bümpliz Nord-Neuchâtel section commenced on 14 May 1928. The Bern (Holligen)–Bern Bümpliz Nord section had been electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz on 13 September 1923.

Doubling

The BLS plans to complete doubling of the line to allow operations at 160 km/h. This has already been completed between Bern and Rosshäusern. The double track Rosshäusern Tunnel was opened on 25 August 2018 and doubling to the Saane is under way.

Double track was put into operations on the Ins–Fanelwald section on 24 June 2007 and it was extended to Zihlbrücke on 16 September 2012. The section is designed for operations at 160 km/h.

Operations

Two BN Ea 3/6 tender locomotives were purchased for the line in 1913. They were the most powerful steam tender locomotives in Switzerland. Because of their high axle weights, no suitable alternative use could be found after the electrification of their home line, so they were scrapped early.

Today, in addition to the S5, S51 and S52 services of the Bern S-Bahn, BLS RegioExpress services run over the line.

References

Sources

• Weissenbach, Placid (1913). Das Eisenbahnwesen der Schweiz (in German). Vol. 1. Zürich.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)