The Neuchâtel tramway (french: Tramway de Neuchâtel, or (locally) ''Tram'') is a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

way forming part of the

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...

system in

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, , ; german: Neuenburg) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, situated on the shoreline of Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, ...

, a city in Switzerland. Opened in 1892, the tramway has waxed and waned over the years. Currently, it comprises only one long

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

line, which runs via

Auvernier Auvernier is a village in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The municipalities of Auvernier, Bôle and Colombier merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality of Milvignes.Colombier to

Boudry Boudry a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. History Boudry is first mentioned in 1278 as ''Baudri''. There are numerous prehistoric settlements around Boudry. These include the neolithic stilt houses on the banks of La ...

, and is designated as line 5. All of the system's urban tram lines were converted to

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

es, the last such closure and conversion taking place in 1976, leaving just interurban line 5 (present line 215). The tramway is currently operated by ''

Transports publics Neuchâtelois Transports publics Neuchâtelois (german: Neuenburgische Verkehrsbetriebe & french: Transports publics Neuchâtelois) is a public transportation company in Switzerland. It manages services under the transN brand in the canton of Neuchâtel. It was ...

'' (formerly ''Compagnie des Tramways de Neuchâtel'') (TN), which also runs three

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

s, the Neuchâtel trolleybus system and various conventional bus lines.

History

Interurban line

The line to Boudry, including an Areuse-to-

Cortaillod Cortaillod is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The Neolithic Cortaillod culture was named after Cortaillod, where four Neolithic villages have been discovered. History Cortaillod is first mentioned in 1311 as ''Corta ...

branch line long,Vogt, H. (November/December 1984 issue). "Verkehrsveränderungen in Neuchâtel" (Operations changes in Neuchatel) (in German). ', pp. 444–447. Bielefeld, Germany: Werner Stock. was opened on 16 September 1892 by the former company ''Régional Neuchâtel-Boudry Cortaillod'' (NCB). It was originally a

steam tramway A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

, until in 1902 it was electrified at 600

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference ( voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). D ...

s DC. The branch line to Cortaillod was permanently converted to bus operation on 2 June 1984, and is now served by line 5b. Since its modernisation in the early 1980s, the line to Boudry has mostly been called ''Littorail''. This expression is a composition of the word ''Littoral'' (French for ''coast'' in general, or for the coastal region of

Lake Neuchâtel Lake Neuchâtel (french: Lac de Neuchâtel ; frp, Lèc de Nôchâtél; german: Neuenburgersee) is a lake primarily in Romandy, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by ...

in particular) and ''rail'' (French for ''

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters * Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ...

''). The modernisation included equipping the line with

automatic block signalling Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections ...

. Today, trams run to Boudry at rigid 20-minute intervals and serve a total of twelve

stops Stop may refer to: Places *Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck dr ...

. The average distance between stops is . The line to Boudry is mostly single-track, and runs on its own

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

, independently of road traffic. In similar fashion to a classic railway, it is controlled by automatic block signalling, as previously noted, and equipped with push button interlocking. The line is operated with

bi-directional vehicle A bi-directional vehicle is a vehicle that can be driven in either direction, forwards or backwards. Usually, the term refers to rail vehicles, such as trains or trams, and some airside transfer buses, that are equipped with driver's cabs ...

s, and the travel time is either 16 or 18 minutes, depending upon the direction of travel. Neuchatel 1902 trams 42+44 departing Place Pury loop in 1979

Neuchatel 1902 trams 42+44 departing Place Pury loop in 1979

Until early 1988, the line's Neuchâtel terminus was a

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, ...

through the centre of Place Pury. The loop was abandoned at that time,''

Modern Tramway and Light Rail Transit ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...

'', November 1988 issue, p. 398. Ian Allan Ltd./

Light Rail Transit Association The Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA), formerly the Light Railway Transport League (LRTL), is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to advocate and encourage research into the retention and development of light rail and tramway/street ...

. to facilitate the planned construction (later) of an underground public parking garage, and replaced by a two-track stub terminus to the west.Vogt, H. (October 1989). "Veränderungen bei TN in Neuchâtel" (Changes at TN in Neuchatel) (in German). ', pp. 28–30. Freiburg, Germany: EK Verlag. It is located about west of Place Pury, but is still referred to by TN as Neuchâtel Place Pury terminus. The now one-line system has two carhouses (or depots) for maintenance and housing of the fleet. One is at Boudry terminus, and the other is in Neuchâtel, called Evole depot and located along line 5, about west of the Place Pury terminus. The current Boudry carhouse was built in 1985,Wansbeek, C. J. (December 2005). "Neuchâtel: Swiss lakeside city with tram-train ambitions". ''

Tramways & Urban Transit ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthus ...

'', pp. 476–479. UK:

Ian Allan Publishing Ian Allan Publishing was an English publisher, established in 1942, which specialised in transport books. It was founded by Ian Allan (publisher), Ian Allan. In 1942 Ian Allan, then working in the public relations department for the Southern R ...

. replacing a smaller facility.

Urban lines

The first urban tramway in Neuchâtel, to Saint-Blaise, went into operation on 16 September 1893, and was originally powered by gas. For this first line, the ''Tramway Neuchâtel–Saint-Blaise'' (NSB) was responsible. On 22 December 1894, due to technical problems with the gas-engined vehicles, the line was converted into a horsecar line ( gsw, Rösslitram). For the horsecar operations, the NSB procured six small lightweight trams, each of which was hauled by one horse. In 1897, the first urban line was finally electrified. The following year, a Port– Gare (railway station) line was opened. In subsequent years, the first two urban lines were joined by the following lines: * 1899: Place Pury–Serrières * 1901: Place-Pury–Vauseyon * 1902: Peseux–Corcelles Meanwhile, in 1901, the NSB merged with the NCB to form the ''Compagnie des Tramways de Neuchâtel''. The city's tramway network was subsequently expanded further, and in 1926 reached its maximum route length of . Up to six urban lines were in operation at any one time. They were numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, and most started at Place Pury, in the city centre. Line 4 included interurban service to

Cernier Cernier is the former capital of the district of Val-de-Ruz in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The municipalities of Boudevilliers, Cernier, Chézard-Saint-Martin, Coffrane, Dombresson, Engollon, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Fontainemel ...

. Between 1940 and 1976, the urban tram lines were progressively replaced by

lines, which kept the same numbers. First to close was line 2, to Serrieres, in 1940. Line 4 to Valangin followed in 1949, line 1 to St. Blaise in 1957, and lines 6 and 7 to

Neuchâtel railway station Neuchâtel railway station (french: Gare de Neuchâtel) serves the municipality of Neuchâtel, the capital city of the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Opened in 1857, it is owned and operated by SBB-CFF-FFS. The station forms part of one o ...

(Gare CFF) and La Coudre, respectively, in 1964.Roggenkamp, Helmut (January 1978). "85 Jahre Straßenbahn in Neuchâtel" (85 Years of the Neuchatel Tramway) (in German). ''Strassenbahn International'', pp. 16–18. Vienna: Spurkranz Verlag. The final urban tram line to close was line 3, from Place Pury to Corcelles. Its final day as a tram service was 11 July 1976.'' Modern Tramway and Rapid Transit Review'', November 1976 issue, p. 394. UK:

Fleet

Past fleet

Tram 83 on Quai Philippe-Godet with Lake Neuchatel, 1979

Neuchatel ex-Genova trams passing at Auvernier, 1970s

The interurban line to Boudry always had a separate fleet from the urban fleet, but one small group of trams began service on the urban system and later moved to the interurban line after closure of the last urban line (3). These were cars 81–83, built in 1947 by Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG) and purchased new by TN. These four-axle cars were the only double-ended (bi-directional) Swiss Standard trams ever built. They were originally purchased for use on line 1, but were later used on line 3. All other trams used on the urban lines were two-axle cars and trailers, most commonly operated in sets of one powered tram and one trailer. They were built between 1892 and 1931. The last two-axle cars were retired from service when line 3 closed, in 1976. Four-axle cars 81–83 of 1947 remained in service, running on line 5. They were renumbered 581–583 in 1980. For the interurban line, the original fleet consisted of five steam locomotives, nos. 1–3 built in 1892 and 4–5 built in 1895 and 1898. They hauled passenger trailers of two or four axles. Locomotives 2, 3 and 5 remained in the fleet until 1903. For the introduction of electric tram service on line 5 in 1902, TN acquired seven double-ended, double-

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

(four-axle) tramcars and four matching trailers. All were built in 1902 by SWS, the motored cars being numbered 41–47 and the trailers 51–54; the latter were renumbered 121–124 in 1911. The 1902 cars remained in service for almost 80 years. In 1967–68, they were joined by four

articulated tram Trams have been used since the 19th century, and since then, there have been various uses and designs for trams around the world. This article covers the many design types, most notably the articulated, double-decker, drop-centre, low-floor, si ...

s acquired secondhand from

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...

, Italy. Built in 1942 by

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda ...

, these had carried numbers 1101–1104 in the Genoa tram system's fleet, and they kept the same numbers in Neuchâtel until 1980. They were the only articulated trams ever included in the fleet, and were used exclusively on line 5. Except for the soon-to-be-retired 1902 cars, the tram fleet was renumbered into the 500 series in 1980. The ex-Genoa Breda cars 1101–1104 became numbers 591–594. After the arrival of the new cars in 1981 (see below), Swiss Standard cars 581–583 were relegated to evening service, as were the ex-Genoa cars on the main line to Boudry. However, the latter were in all-day service on the

branch, which became operated as a shuttle service to/from Areuse only (on the main Neuchâtel–Boudry line), needing only one car at a time. After closure of the Cortaillod branch in 1984, the ex-Genoa articulated cars and the Swiss Standard cars were seldom needed for service, but remained available. They were withdrawn permanently after TN acquired two additional new cars in 1988.

Current fleet

The Neuchâtel tramway currently has an exclusively

high-floor High-floor describes the interior flooring of commuter vehicles primarily used in public transport such as trains, light rail cars and other rail vehicles, along with buses and trolleybuses. Interior floor height is generally measured above th ...

tram fleet, mostly built in 1981, comprising six four-axle

power car In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle: *a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, multiple unit or tram, often as the lead vehicle; *a vehicle equipped ...

s of type Be 4/4 with the numbers 501–506 and four corresponding, externally identical

control car A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK and Ireland) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or two driver compartm ...

s (Bt) with the numbers 551–554. These two vehicle types are derived from the

Tram 2000 The Tram 2000 is a type of tram vehicle that was originally designed for the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ), the municipal transport operator of the Swiss city of Zürich, and first introduced in 1976. Other variants of the type were subsequently ...

vehicles of the

Forchbahn The Forch railway (german: Forchbahn, FB, Frieda ) is a local railway line in the Swiss canton of Zürich. It is owned and operated by the Forchbahn AG, and is branded as line S18 of the Zürich S-Bahn. The standard Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZV ...

. All were built by SWS in 1981, except the last two powered cars, 505–506, which were built in 1988 and had bodies built by Schindler Waggon ( DE) (to the same style as cars 501–504) and trucks by

SIG Sig used as a name may refer to: *Sig (given name) *Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon *Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig (lo ...

. The eight 1981 cars entered service on 29 June 1981,''

'', October 1981 issue, p. 382. replacing all of the surviving 1902 cars, which were permanently withdrawn at that time.

Preserved cars

Blonay-Chamby Tramways de Neuchâtel - 76 - 01

TN has preserved the following cars (as of 2000): * Two-axle tram 73, built in 1922 by

* Two-axle trailer 143, built in 1897 by SIG, rebuilt in 1914 and 1954 * Two-axle trailer 1, ex-101 (II), ex-105, built in 1894 by SIG Elsewhere, the

Blonay–Chamby museum railway The Blonay–Chamby Museum Railway (french: Chemin de fer-musée Blonay-Chamby, BC) is a short steep but adhesion worked metre gauge heritage railway operated as part of the Blonay–Chamby Railway Museum using vintage steam and electric locomot ...

has preserved Neuchâtel cars 76 (two-axle tram, built in 1922 by SIG) and 121 (four-axle trailer, built in 1892 by Maschinenfabrik Burkhard, Basel). A large number of ex-Neuchâtel trams have been preserved in various other collections. These include 1902 four-axle cars 41 and 43–47; 1920s-built two-axle cars 72, 74 and 78; 1947-built Swiss Standard Trams 582–583; and ten trailers dating from 1892 to 1902. None of the 1942 ex-Genoa articulated trams survives. Car 592, ex-1102, was initially preserved by the ''Association Neuchâteloise des Amis du Tramway'' (ANAT), which group also owns some of the aforementioned other trams, but was scrapped in 1993 due to its poor condition. All three others of the class had already been scrapped by 1988.

Network Map

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Association Neuchâteloise des Amis du Tramway (ANAT)
(Neuchâtel Association of Friends of the Tramway) – official site
History of line 5
at the ANAT website
TN Neuchâtel – history of the Neuchâtel tramway

TN Neuchâtel – the Neuchâtel tramway fleet

a
railfaneurope.net

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urbanrail.net
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trams In Neuchatel Neuchatel Transport in Neuchâtel Neuchatel, Trams in 1892 establishments in Switzerland