Contents

Bern S-Bahn

Bern S-Bahn
A BLS S-Bahn train at Thun in 2013
Overview
Locale	Bern, Switzerland
Transit type	S-Bahn
Number of lines	13
Daily ridership	175,000 (weekdays)
Website	S-Bahn Bern (in German)
Operation
Began operation	1974; 50 years ago (1974) (Bern) 1995; 29 years ago (1995) (regional)
Operator(s)	BLS AG Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (BLS) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (RBS)
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.

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.

As early as 1974, Vereinigte Bern–Worb-Bahnen [de] (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 BerntoLaupen BEorFribourg/Freiburg on a half-hourly schedule.^[2]

The second line began operation on 28 May 1995, operating from SchwarzenburgtoTrubschachen.^[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]

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]

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]

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 [de] 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]

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:

• BLS AG (BLS);
• Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS).

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.

As of June 2024^[update], the network consists of the following lines. Unless otherwise stated, the lines are 1,435 mmor4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge.^[11]

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)^[14]
• S11 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ"): (6 car EMU)^[14]
• S2 BLS RABe 528 ("MIKA"): (up to two units per train (2 x 6 cars EMU))^[15]
• S21 BLS RABe 535 ("Lötschberger")^[16]
• S22 BLS RABe 535 ("Lötschberger")^[16]
• S3 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ"): up to two units per train (2 x 4- double-decker car EMU)^[14]
• S31 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ"): up to two units per train (2 x 4- double-decker car EMU)^[14]
• S35 BLS RBDe 565 [de] ("NPZ") with two "B6 Jumbo [de]" intermediate cars or BLS RBDe 566 II [de] ("NPZ")^[17]
• S36 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA")^[18]
• S4 BLS RABe 528 ("MIKA") (up to two units per train (2 x 6 cars EMU))^[15]
• S41 BLS RABe 535 ("Lötschberger")^[16]
• S42 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA")^[18]
• S43 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA")^[18]
• S44 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA") or BLS RABe 535 ("Lötschberger"): 1-2 units per train (4 cars EMU)^[16][18]
• S45 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA") or BLS RABe 535 ("Lötschberger")^[16][18]
• S46 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA")^[18]
• S5 BLS RABe 525 ("NINA") or : 1–3 units per train (3 cars EMU)^[18]
• S51 BLS RBDe 565 ("NPZ") with two "B6 Jumbo" intermediate cars^[17]
• S52 BLS RBDe 565 ("NPZ") with two "B6 Jumbo" intermediate cars^[17]
• S6 BLS RABe 515 ("MUTZ")^[14]
• S7 RBS Be 4/10 [de] ("Worbla"): in peak times 2 x Be 4/10,
• S7 supplementary trains Bern–Bolligen RBS Be 4/10 ("Worbla")^[19]
• S8 RBS Be 4/12 ("Seconda"): 2 EMU per train in peak hours, 1 EMU outside of peak hours^[20]
• S9 RBS Be 4/12 ("Seconda") or RBS Be 4/10 ("Worbla")^[19][20]

• Trams in Bern
• Trolleybuses in Bern

• "Angebotskonzept Des Kantons Bern Für Den Öffentlichen Orts - Und Regionalverkehr 2005 - 2008" (PDF) (in German). December 2004.
• Bützer, Hans-Peter; Jeker, Mark (1980). Grosser Eisenbahn-Atlas Schweiz (in German). Bern: Kümmerly & Frey. ISBN 3-259-03234-6. OCLC 1222543836.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bern S-Bahn.

• Official website

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