Bern S-Bahn

The Bern S-Bahn (German: S-Bahn Bern; French: RER Berne) is an S-Bahn commuter rail network focused on Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. The network is roughly coterminous with Bern's urban agglomeration.

Bern S-Bahn
The Bern S-Bahn logo, a yellow S with cut-out arrows pointing up and down
Silver train with green trim
A BLS S-Bahn train at Thun in 2013
Overview
LocaleBern, Switzerland
Transit typeS-Bahn
Number of lines13
Daily ridership175,000 (weekdays)
WebsiteS-Bahn Bern (in German)
Operation
Began operation1974 (1974) (Bern)
1995 (1995) (regional)
Operator(s)BLS AG
Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS)
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (BLS)
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (RBS)
Bern S-Bahn

With approximately 9 million train kilometres per year, the Bern S-Bahn is the second-largest S-Bahn in Switzerland. It handles around 100,000 passengers daily (175,000 on weekdays), and thus carries the majority of the agglomeration's regional public transport traffic.

History

As early as 1974, Vereinigte Bern–Worb-Bahnen (VBW), forerunner of Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS), began operating S-Bahn-style clock-face schedule services in the Bern area.[1] The next step came in 1987, when Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) began running trains from Thun through Bern to Laupen BE or Fribourg on a half-hourly schedule.[2]

The second line began operation on 28 May 1995, operating from Schwarzenburg to Trubschachen.[3] At this time the "S"-style designations were introduced to differentiate the lines.

The next expansion occurred in 1998, with the commissioning of the S3 (Biel/Bienne−Belp) and the S4 (Bern–Bern Bümpliz Nord−Burgdorf and beyond). The S33 and S44 supplemented service on the S3 and S4, while the S5 designation was applied to regional services between Bern and Neuchâtel. Also introduced was the S55 for services from Bern to Murten/Morat via Kerzers.[4][5]

2005

The December 2004 timetable change saw major expansions of the Bern S-Bahn concept. This was partly enabled by infrastructure improvements carried out under the Rail 2000 program. The three RBS lines were formally incorporated into the network, SBB transferred the operation of the S1 and S3 to the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon-Bahn (BLS). [6] The network now consisted of the following services:[7]

NumberRouteFrequencyOperator
S1Fribourg/Laupen BE–Flamatt–Bern–ThunEvery 30 minutesBLS
S11Bern–FribourgRush-hourBLS
S2Schwarzenburg–Bern–Langnau i.E.Every 30 minutesBLS
S22Schwarzenburg–BernRush-hourBLS
S3Biel/Bienne–Bern–BelpEvery 30 minutesBLS
S33Bern–Belp–ThunEvery 30 minutesBLS
S4Rosshäusern–Bern–Burgdorf–Affoltern-WeierEvery 60 minutesRM
S44Rosshäusern–Bern–Burgdorf–Langnau i.E./WilerEvery 60 minutesRM
S5Bern–Kerzers–Neuchâtel/Murten (–Payerne)Every 60 minutesBLS
S51Bern–Bern Bümpliz NordRush-hourBLS
S7Bern–Bolligen–Worb DorfEvery 15 minutesRBS
S8Bern–JegenstorfEvery 15 minutesRBS
S9Bern–UnterzollikofenEvery 15 minutesRBS

2009

The December 2008 timetable change saw several major alterations to the standard gauge part of the network. On the Lausanne–Bern line, the S11 was eliminated, and the S1 began operating half-hourly between Flamatt and Fribourg and skipping most local stops between Flamatt and Niederwangen. The S2's western terminus was changed from Schwarzenburg to Laupen BE. On the Bern–Schwarzenburg railway line, the new S6 replaced the S2 and S22, offering a half-hourly service between Schwarzenburg and Bern. On the Bern–Neuchâtel line, the new S52 replaced the S4 and S44 between Bern and Rosshäusern, and was extended to Kerzers, while the S51 was increased to half-hourly service and extended to the new station at Bern Brünnen Westside. The S4 and S44 were re-routed over the Bern–Belp–Thun line to Thun via Belp, in place of the S33.[8]

NumberRouteFrequencyOperator
S1Fribourg–Bern–ThunEvery 30 minutesBLS[lower-alpha 1]
S2Laupen BE–Bern–Langnau i.E.Every 30 minutesBLS
S3Biel/Bienne–Bern–Belp (–Thun)Every 30 minutesBLS
S4Thun–Bern–Burgdorf–Affoltern-WeierEvery 60 minutesBLS[lower-alpha 1]
S44Thun–Bern–Burgdorf–Langnau i.E./WilerEvery 60 minutesBLS
S5Bern–Kerzers–Neuchâtel/Murten (–Payerne)Every 60 minutesBLS
S51Bern–Bern Brünnen WestsideEvery 30 minutesBLS
S52Bern–Kerzers (–Neuchâtel)Every 30 minutesBLS
S6Schwarzenburg–BernEvery 30 minutesBLS
S7Bern–Bolligen–WorbEvery 15 minutesRBS
S8Bern–JegenstorfEvery 15 minutesRBS
S9Bern–UnterzollikofenEvery 15 minutesRBS

2010–2012

The December 2009 timetable change saw a limited number of changes. The most significant involved the S4 and S44. Service on the Ramsei–Huttwil line was cut back from Affoltern-Weier to Sumiswald-Grünen, and the S4 and S44 swapped termini, with the S4 now going to Sumiswald-Grünen and the S44 going to Langnau i.E.[9] The December 2011 addition of the S31 between Münchenbuchsee and Belp (via Bern) increased the service frequency between those two stations to every fifteen minutes.[10]

Operations

The Bern S-Bahn Bern is operated, under a joint commission from the Canton of Bern, its neighbouring cantons and the Federal Government, by the following railway companies:

Upon the timetable change on 12 December 2004, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) withdrew from its previous involvement in the operation of the Bern S-Bahn, but also took over all of the long-distance services previously operated by the BLS.

Lines

As of May 2022, the network consists of the following lines. Unless otherwise stated, the lines are 1,435 mm or 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge.[11]

# Route Notes Operator
S1Fribourg–Flamatt–Bern–ThunBLS AG
S2Laupen–Flamatt–Bern–Konolfingen–Langnau im EmmentalBLS AG
S3Biel/Bienne–Bern–BelpBLS AG
S31Biel/Bienne–Bern–BelpRush-hour serviceBLS AG
S4Thun–Belp–Bern–Burgdorf–Hasle-Rüegsau–Zollbrück–Langnau im EmmentalBLS AG
S44Thun–Belp–Bern–Burgdorf–Solothurn/Hasle-Rüegsau–Zollbrück-Sumiswald-GrünenOperates as a single train between Thun and Burgdorf[12]BLS AG
S5Neuchâtel–Ins/Payerne–Murten/Morat–Kerzers–Bern Brünnen Westside–BernOperates as a single train between Bern and Kerzers[13]BLS AG
S51Bern Brünnen Westside–BernBLS AG
S52(Ins–)Kerzers–Bern Brünnen Westside–BernOperates between Ins and Kerzers only during rush hourBLS AG
S6Schwarzenburg–BernBLS AG
S7Bern–Worb DorfOperates over the metre (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge Worb Dorf–Worblaufen lineRBS
S8Bern–Jegenstorf/BätterkindenOperates over the metre (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge Solothurn–Worblaufen lineRBS
S9Bern–UnterzollikofenOperates over the metre (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge Zollikofen–Bern lineRBS

Network map

Rolling stock

The normal rolling stock rosters for the Bern S-Bahn are:

  • S1 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ"): up to two units per train (2 x 4- double-decker car EMU).
  • S2 BLS RBDe 565 ("NPZ") with two "B6 Jumbo" intermediate cars.
  • S3 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ"): up to two units per train (2 x 4- double-decker car EMU).
  • S31 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ"): up to two units per train (2 x 4- double-decker car EMU).
  • S4 BLS RABe 528 ("MIKA") (up to two units per train (2 x 6 cars EMU)) or BLS RBDe 565 or BLS RBDe 566 II ("NPZ") with "B6 Jumbo" and "B Lego" intermediate cars.
  • S44 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA"): 1-2 units per train (4 cars EMU).
  • S5 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA"): 1–3 units per train (3 cars EMU).
  • S51 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ")
  • S52 BLS RBDe 565 or RBDe 566 II
  • S6 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ")
  • S7 RBS Be 4/10 ("Worbla"): in peak times 2 x Be 4/10,
  • S7 supplementary trains Bern–Bolligen RBS Be 4/10 ("Worbla")
  • S8 RBS Be 4/12 ("Seconda"): 2 EMU per train in peak hours, 1 EMU outside of peak hours.
  • S9 RBS Be 4/12 ("Seconda") or RBS Be 4/10 ("Worbla")

See also

Notes
  1. BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland merged in 2006 to form BLS AG, also commonly known as BLS.

Footnotes
  1. Bützer & Jeker 1980, p. 149.
  2. "Berner S-Bahn fährt ab 1995 auf zwei Linien". Der Bund (in German). 14 July 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  3. "Neue S-Bahn-Linie Langnau-Schwarzenburg". Thuner Tagblatt (in German). 22 May 1995. p. 3. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  4. "Berner S-Bahn: Täglich 400 Züge für 40 000 Reisende". Thuner Tagblatt (in German). 20 May 1998. p. 24. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  5. Aebischer, Pascal (20 May 1998). "Murten hat S-Bahn-Anschluss". Freiburger Nachrichten (in German). p. 7. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  6. Bern 2004, p. 70.
  7. Bern 2004, p. 21.
  8. "Der Fahrplan 2009" (PDF) (in German). 10 November 2008. p. 6. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  9. "Veränderungen beim öffentlichen Verkehr mit dem Fahrplanwechsel vom 13. Dezember 2009" (PDF) (in German). Canton of Bern. 13 December 2009. p. 1. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  10. "Fahrplanwechsel 11. Dezember 2011". Berner Zeitung (in German). 22 November 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  11. "Liniennetz S-Bahn Bern" (PDF). S-Bahn Bern (in German). 15 December 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  12. "S44: Thun–Belp–Bern–Burgdorf–Solothurn + Sumiswald-Grünen" (PDF). BLS AG. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  13. "S5: Bern–Kerzers–Neuchâtel + Murten/Morat (–Payerne)" (PDF). BLS AG. Retrieved 23 May 2020.

References
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