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Tram systems in Neuchâtel

About Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel is the capital of the Swiss canton of the same name and is located on the northern shore of Lac de Neuchâtel (Lake Neuchâtel). The town is located in the French speaking region of Switzerland and has a population of approximately 34,000

Overview of public transport in Neuchâtel

Public transport in Neuchâtel is operated by Transports en commun de Neuchâtel et environs under the marketing name Les Transports Publics du Littoral Neuchâtelois (TN) and includes an extensive trollybus system, 3 funiculars and the interurban light railway that this site focuses on. Neuchâtel also has a mainline railway station that is on the Olten - Genève-Aéroport line, as well as serving a cross-border line served by the French TGV service. There is also a non-commercial airport.

Neuchâtel's current tram system

As mentioned above, the tram system in Neuchâtel is operated by Transports en commun de Neuchâtel et environs. The current system is an interurban light railway that runs along the shore of Lac de Neuchâtel between Neuchâtel and Boudry and is mostly called Littorail, which is a composition of the word Littoral (French for coastal, referring to the coastal region of Lake Neuchâtel) and rail (French for rail).

Neuchâtel currently has 1 tram line, details of which can be found on the Lines tab

History of trams in Neuchâtel

Trams have existed in Neuchâtel since the late 1890s, with the interurban line to Boudry opening in September 1892 and the first urban line to Saint-Blaise a year later. The interurban line was originally operated by Régional Neuchâtel-Boudry Cortaillod (NCB) and was a steam tramway, until it was electrified in 1902. The line included a branch line between Areuse and Cortaillod, which was replaced by a bus service in 1984.

The original urban line operated gas powered trams, and was operated by Tramway Neuchâtel–Saint-Blaise (NSB), but after a year the line was converted to horse-drawn trams. The line was then electrified in 1897. Between 1898 and 1902, a further 4 urban lines were opened:

  • 1898 - from Port to Gare
  • 1899 - from Place Pury to Serrières
  • 1901 - from Place-Pury to Vauseyon
  • 1902 - from Peseux to Corcelles

In 1901, the NSB and the NCB merged to form Compagnie des Tramways de Neuchâtel and the city's tram network was expanded further, reaching its maximum line length of 27km in 1926, with up to 6 lines in operation. Between 1940 and 1976, the urban tram lines were gradually replaced by trollybus lines, until the final one (line 3 between Place Pury and Corcelles) closed on 11 July 1976, leaving the "network" comprised of just the interurban line that still remains today.

Map of Neuchâtel's current tram system

Tram map for Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Neuchâtel tram lines

Neuchâtel currently has 1 tram line, which is listed below. To see more information about a particular line, click on the link in the table below (where applicable).

Line Descrption
215 Line 215 is the only line on the Neuchâtel tram system and runs along the shore of Lac de Neuchâtel between Place Pury and Boudry.

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