Switzerland has an extensive collection of narrow-gauge railways, almost all of which are metre gauge and electrified with different voltages. Most lines have at least one interchange station with the standard gauge Swiss Federal Railways or Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon railway.
List of companies and lines The cantons listed below are the principal areas of operation, but some lines may extend into parts of neighbouring cantons and countries:
Canton of Aargau Aargau Verkehr operates: Menziken–Aarau–Schöftland line, formerly operated by the Wynental and Suhrental Railway. Services are operated as Aargau S-Bahn route . Bremgarten–Dietikon line, formerly operated by BDWM Transport. Services are operated as Zürich S-Bahn route . The company also operates services on the Limmattal light rail line since December 2022.
Cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and St. Gallen Appenzell Railways, including: Altstätten–Gais railway line Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway Gossau–Wasserauen railway line
Canton of Basel-Landschaft Baselland Transport, including: Line 10 (BLT) Waldenburg railway - reopened in December 2022 after a 19-month conversion from 750 mm track gauge to 1000 mm gauge
Canton of Basel-Stadt Trams in Basel
Canton of Bern Allmendhubelbahn - funicular Bernese Oberland Railway Biel–Täuffelen–Ins railway Brienz Rothorn Railway - 800 mm track gauge, not electrified and most trains operated by steam Jungfrau Railway Langenthal-Jura Railway Langenthal–Melchnau railway line Lauterbrunnen–Mürren Mountain Railway Meiringen–Innertkirchen Railway - operated by the Zentralbahn Niesen Funicular Schynige Platte Railway Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS), including: Zollikofen–Bern railway Trams in Bern Wengernalp Railway - 800 mm track gauge Funiculars: Gelmer Funicular Giessbachbahn Gurten Funicular Harderbahn - in Interlaken Reichenbachfall Funicular Closed lines: Trams in Biel/Bienne (closed 1948) Meiringen–Reichenbach–Aareschlucht tramway (closed 1956) Steffisburg–Thun–Interlaken tramway (closed 1958, converted to trolleybus and later to a bus service)
Canton of Geneva Trams in Geneva Geneva (Chantepoulet) – Ferney (France) - Gex (France) tramway - closed in 1938 and replaced by a bus service
Canton of Fribourg Transports publics Fribourgeois, including: Chemins de fer électriques de la Gruyère Gruyère–Fribourg–Morat railway Châtel-St-Denis–Palézieux railway
Canton of Glarus Braunwaldbahn - funicular Sernftal tramway (closed 1969)
Canton of Grisons Rhätische Bahn (RhB) - the longest metre-gauge railway in Switzerland, linking Arosa, Disentis, Davos, St. Moritz in the high Alps, and Tirano in Italy with Chur, including: Albula Railway Bernina railway Bever–Scuol-Tarasp railway Davos Platz–Filisur railway Chur–Arosa railway Reichenau-Tamins–Disentis/Mustér railway Landquart–Thusis railway Samedan–Pontresina railway
Cantons of Grisons, Uri and Valais Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) Links with the RhB at Disentis, to Andermatt (with a branch to Goeschenen), Brig and Zermatt. The line includes several sections of rack railway. The MGB was created in by the merger in 2003 of the Furka Oberalp Bahn and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn. The MGB operates the Glacier Express jointly with the RhB. Furka Steam Railway - a preserved railway formerly part of what is now the MGB, not electrified and most trains operated by steam Treib–Seelisberg railway - funicular in Canton of Uri Altdorf–Flüelen tramway (closed 1951, Canton of Uri)
Canton of Jura Chemins de fer du Jura, including: La Chaux-de-Fonds–Glovelier line, including the former Régional Saignelégier–Glovelier Saignelégier–La Chaux-de-Fonds Railway, former railway Tavannes–Noirmont railway La Traction - preservation group
Cantons of Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Bern Brünig railway line - operated by the Zentralbahn Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line - including the Grafenort – Engelberg Tunnel, operated by the Zentralbahn Pilatus Railway - 800 mm track gauge, operating in the Canton of Obwalden Bürgenstock Funicular - Canton of Nidwalden Sonnenberg Funicular - funicular at Kriens near Lucerne
Canton of Neuchâtel La Chaux-de-Fonds–Glovelier line La Chaux-de-Fonds–Les Ponts-de-Martel railway Saignelégier–La Chaux-de-Fonds Railway Le Locle–Les Brenets line Trams in Neuchâtel
Canton of Schwyz Rigi–Scheidegg railway (closed 1931)
Canton of Solothurn Aare Seeland mobil, including: Oberaargau-Jura Railways Solothurn–Niederbipp railway Solothurn–Worblaufen railway Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS)
Cantons of Thurgau and St. Gallen Frauenfeld–Wil railway
Canton of Ticino Centovalli railway - between Domodossola in Italy and Locarno Lugano–Ponte Tresa Railway Monte Generoso railway - 800 mm track gauge Funiculars: Lugano Città–Stazione funicular Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular Monte Brè funicular Monte San Salvatore funicular Ritom funicular Closed lines: Bellinzona–Mesocco railway (closed 2013) Lugano degli Angioli funicular (closed 1986) Lugano–Cadro–Dino railway (closed 1970) Lugano–Tesserete railway (closed 1967) Mendrisio electric tramway (closed 1950) Trams in Lugano (closed 1964)
Canton of Valais
Gornergrat Railway Jungfrau Railway Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) - see entry above Transports de Martigny et Régions, including: Martigny–Châtelard Railway (MC) - 19 km long, with one rack railway section Riffelalp tram - 800 mm track gauge Zermatt–Sunnegga Funicular
Canton of Vaud
Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges Chemin de fer Yverdon–Ste-Croix Chemin de fer Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line Transports Publics du Chablais, including: Aigle–Leysin railway line Aigle–Ollon–Monthey–Champéry railway Aigle–Sépey–Diablerets railway Chemin de fer Bex–Villars–Bretaye Monthey–Champéry–Morgins railway Blonay–Chamby museum railway Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera Vevey–Chardonne–Mont Pèlerin funicular railway Vevey–Montreux–Chillon–Villeneuve tramway (closed in 1958 and replaced by a trolleybus service) Chemins de fer électriques Veveysans Territet–Glion funicular railway - funicular Cossonay–Gare–Ville funicular Les Avants–Sonloup funicular Clarens–Chailly–Blonay Railway (closed 1955)
Canton of Zürich Dolderbahn - rack railway in Zürich Forch railway Funicular Rigiblick Glattalbahn Limmattal light rail line Trams in Zürich Closed lines: Limmattal tramway (closed 1955) Trams in Winterthur (closed) Uster–Oetwil tramway (closed 1949) Wetzikon–Meilen tramway (closed 1950)
Trams
There are trams operating on nine systems in seven Swiss cities. Street-running tramways are nearly all . The Chemin de fer Bex–Villars–Bretaye (BVB) in Bex is more of a mixed interurban light rail line connected to a rack railway but it does have some street running portions, particularly in Bex where the BVB operates along the right of way of a tramway system originally built in the 1890s.
City System Start ofelectricoperations Gauge notes Basel Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) 6 May 1892 8 lines Baselland Transport (BLT) 6 October 1902 4 lines, , 100 trams, serves suburbs Bern Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Bern 1 July 1902 Bex Bex–Villars–Bretaye railway (BVB) 1898 connects to rack railway in Villars-sur-Ollon Geneva Transports Publics Genevois 22 September 1894 Lausanne Lausanne Metro Line M1 2 June 1991 Neuchâtel Trams in Neuchâtel 16 May 1897 Zürich Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) 8 March 1894 Stadtbahn Glattal 10 December 2006
See also Feldbahn List of heritage railways and funiculars in Switzerland List of highest railway stations in Switzerland List of mountain railways in Switzerland List of rack railways Mountain railway Rail transport in Switzerland Saignelégier–La Chaux-de-Fonds Railway
References
External links
Swiss narrow-gauge railways