Palézieux–Bulle–Montbovon
RER Fribourg S60 near Gruyères in 2017
Overview
Owner	Transports publics Fribourgeois
Line number	253
Termini	Palézieux Montbovon
Stations	25
History
Opened	29 April 1901 (1901-04-29)
Technical
Line length	43.2 km (26.8 mi)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification	900 V DC overhead contact
Route map km elev SBB line from Bern–Fribourg SBB line from Lyss 0.0 Palézieux 669 m SBB line to Lausanne 1.7 Granges (Veveyse) 2.9 Bossonnens 730 m 3.8 Tatroz 4.9 Remaufens 756 m 5.4 Au Moulin (Veveyse) 6.5 0.0 Châtel-Saint-Denis (from 2019) 807 m Châtel-Saint-Denis (until 2019) CEV to St-Légier (closed 1969) 2.8 Prayoud 835 m 6.2 Semsales 858 m 7.8 La Verrerie 836 m 9.8 Le Crêt 845 m 13.4 Les Ponts 831 m 14.3 Vaulruz-Sud 813 m 15.1 Les Colombettes 804 m 16.6 Vuadens-Sud 803 m 17.9 Planchy Planchy depot and workshop TPF to Romont 19.5 Bulle 771 m TPF to Broc 21.0 La Tour-de-Trême Ronclina 750 m 22.2 Le Pâquier-Montbarry 731 m 24.0 Gruyères 746 m Estavannens I (199 m) Estavannens II (77 m) 25.8 Estavannens 708 m 26.7 Enney 712 m 29.4 Villars-sous-Mont 739 m 31.4 Neirivue 754 m 32.6 Albeuve 767 m 33.9 Lessoc 778 m MOB line from Montreux 36.7 Montbovon 797 m MOB line to Zweisimmen [1][2]

The Palézieux–Bulle–Montbovon railway line is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge railway line in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. It runs 43.2 kilometres (26.8 mi) from Palézieux to Montbovon. The line is owned and operated by Transports publics Fribourgeois (TPF).

History

The first section between Palézieux and Châtel-Saint-Denis opened on 29 April 1901. It was built by the Chemin de fer Châtel-St-Denis–Palézieux (CP). The Chemins de fer électriques de la Gruyère (CEG) built another line east from Châtel-St-Denis to Vaudens, opening on 23 July 1903. At the same time, the CEG opened a line north from Montbovon to La Tour-de-Trême.^[3] The CEG closed the gap in 1904, completing sections between Vaudens and Bulle on 14 July and Bulle and La Tour-de-Trême on 21 September.^[4] The CEG acquired the CP on 20 December 1907.^[5]

In 1942, the CEG merged with two other companies to form the Chemins de fer fribourgeois Gruyère–Fribourg–Morat (GFM).^[6] The GFM, in turn, became the Transports publics Fribourgeois (TPF) in 2000.^[7]

Route

The line begins in Palézieux, where it terminates across the platform from the standard gauge Lausanne–Bern and Palézieux–Lyss lines of Swiss Federal Railways. From there the line runs east to Châtel-Saint-Denis, where there was an interchange with the St-Légier–Châtel-St-Denis railway line from 1904–1969, when it was abandoned. The line then turns northeast, skirting the Swiss Prealps, to Bulle. At Bulle it interchanges with two other TPF lines: the standard gauge Bulle–Romont railway line, and the standard gauge Bulle–Broc railway line, another former CEG branch that was rebuilt in 2021–2023. From Bulle, the line turns south, and continues to Montbovon, where it meets the Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway.^[1]

Notes

References

• Wägli, Hans G.; Jacobi, Sébastien (2010). Schienennetz Schweiz - Bahnprofil Schweiz CH+ [Swiss rail network] (in German) (3rd ed.). Zürich: AS Verlag. ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9.