Trams in Biel/Bienne

The Biel/Bienne tramway network was part of the public transport network of the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, and its environs for more than 70 years. Opened in 1877, the network operated as a horsecar tramway until 1902, when it was electrified and converted from 1,435 mm standard gauge to 1,000 mm metre gauge.

Initially, the operator was the Compagnie générale des tramways suisses of Geneva, a predecessor of today's Transports Publics Genevois . From 1901, the operator was Städtische Strassenbahn Biel / Tramway de Bienne , from which the present-day Verkehrsbetriebe Biel / Transports publics biennois emerged. In the 1940s, the tramways were gradually replaced by the Biel/Bienne trolleybus system and motor buses, until the network's closure in 1948. But the tramway was removed in 1954 only, because it got tared. When they were found in 1953 again, many people wanted to ceep them but because of the new bussystem this wasn't necessary.

More information

Comments Statistics

| | Public | French • German • Italian