RBS trains in Worblaufen.
RBS train and bus station in Zollikofen. The yellow bus is operated by Swiss Post.

Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn RBS (English: Regional Transport Bern-Solothurn) is a Swiss public transport company. It operates train, tram, and bus lines between Bern, Solothurn and Worb.

History

There had been a desire for a direct connection between Solothurn and Bern since the middle of the nineteenth century, only partly satisfied by the opening of a standard gauge line between Solothurn and Burgdorf by the Emmentalbahn in 1876. A campaign for a line via Fraubrunnen finally resulted in a concession granted in 1912 for the Elektrische Solothurn-Bern-Bahn (ESB) to build a metre-gauge line between Solothurn and Zollikofen. Here it would connect with the Bern-Zollikofen-Bahn, which had been opened in the same year. The full line was opened on 9 April 1916, but for the first eight years, passengers were obliged to change trains in Zollikofen. Public pressure led to the fusion of the two lines into the Solothurn-Zollikofen-Bahn (SZB) in 1922.

The town of Worb had been connected to Bern by the Bern-Worb-Bahn (BWB) in 1898, and the Worblentalbahn subsequently connected Worb with the villages of the Worble valley, making a connection with the BZB line at Worblaufen. The two lines to Worb fused in 1927 into the Vereinigte Bern-Worb-Bahnen (VBW). After a series of working agreements in the 1970s, the SZB and the VWB finally merged into the RBS in November 1984 through a series of mergers. 94% of RBS shares are owned by federal, cantonal and local authorities.

As of 2006, the company has 361 employees and owns 185 vehicles. It operates on 57 km of track and 61 km of bus lines and transports 23.5 million passengers each year. The subterranean RBS train station in Bern is the country's eighth-largest in terms of passenger usage, with 49,000 people using it on peak days. This heavy usage leads to overcrowding during peak hours. To increase the station's passenger handling capacity and reduce overcrowding, strict rules have been put into place to govern passenger flow.

A steady programme of track-doubling has significantly increased track capacity. Planning has already started to increase the size and capacity of the station in terms of passenger flow and number of trains it can handle. In 2009, a 15-minute interval for all lines was planned, which takes the station to the limit of its ability to handle passengers.

New 120 km/h train sets have been introduced on the RE line (Bern - Solothurn) to enable running at 15-minute intervals. These sets were made by Stadler Rail AG.[1]

Lines

Train

LineRouteLength Source
S7Bern–Worb Dorf15.1 km [2][3]
S8Bern–Bätterkinden13.6 km [2][3]
S9Bern–Unterzollikofen5.4 km [2][3]
REBern–Solothurn33.6 km [2][3]

Tram

LineRouteLength Source
6Bern Fischermätteli–Worb Dorf13.1 km [3][4]

Bus

LineRoute[3]
8 Solothurn – Büren an der Aare
33 Worblaufen – Reichenbach – Bremgarten
34 Unterzollikofen – Hirzenfeld
36 Breitenrain – Worblaufen – Zollikofen – Münchenbuchsee
38 Schönbühl – Bäriswil – Mattstetten
40 Kappelisacker – Papiermühle – Schosshalde – Egghölzli – Muri – Allmendingen / Sonnenfeld
41 Zollikofen – Kappelisacker – Papiermühle – Breitenrain
43 Ittigen Bahnhof – Kappelisacker – Ittigen Bahnhof
44 Bolligen – Ostermundigen – Gümligen
46 Bolligen – Habstetten
47 Bolligen – Mannenberg
48 Papiermühle – Kappelisacker – Lutertal – Habstetten – Bolligen Bahnhof
362 Lyss – Schnottwil
363 Lyss – Grossaffoltern – Bätterkinden
367 City bus Lyss
368 City bus Lyss
871 Wengi b. Büren – Jegenstorf
884 Bätterkinden – Utzenstorf – Koppigen
898 Büren an der Aare – Zollikofen

Rolling stock

Rail

NameNumber of unitsIn serviceCapacityTop speed AboutImageSource
Be 4/10 Worbla 14 2018-present 510 (130 seated) 100 km/h (62 mph) Built in 2018, 2019, and 2020 by Stadler Rail. Replaced the Be 4/12 Mandarinli units on the S7 line. Also used on the S9 line. [5][6]
RABe 4/12 NExT 14 2009-present 443 (154 seated) 120 km/h (75 mph) Built in 2009 and 2013 by Stadler Rail. Replaced the ABe 4/12 La Prima units on the RE line. [7]
Be 4/12 Seconda 11 2010-present 418(178 seated) 90 km/h (56 mph) Rebuilt from ABe 4/12 La Prima units from 2010 to 2013. Used on the S8 and S9 lines. Also sometimes used on the RE line. [8]
Be 4/10 Blaus Bähnli 9 2010-present 148 (88 seated) 65 km/h (40 mph) Rebuilt from Be 4/8 Blaus Bähnli units in 2010. The rebuild included the addition of a new car in the middle of each unit. The new cars were built by Stadler Rail and included lower floors to allow for level boarding. Operated by Bernmobil on the tram line 6. [9]
Be 4/8 Blaus Bähnli 9 1987-2010 123 (73 seated) 65 km/h (40 mph) Built by SWP, SIG, and ABB in 1987. Used on the G line. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Railway Gazette: RBS places NExT EMU contract". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Zahlen und Fakten zum RBS" (in German). Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Linienplan RBS 2023" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Geschäftsbericht 2011 BERNMOBIL" (PDF) (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Worbla | RBS.ch" (in German). Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Christeller, Reinhard. "Stadler's new „Worbla" commuter train for the Bern region". Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Der Niederflur-Express-Treibzug-NExT | RBS.ch" (in German). Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Seconda | RBS.ch" (in German). Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Das Blaue Bähnli | RBS.ch" (in German). Retrieved August 14, 2023.
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