Tram systems in Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel is the capital of the Swiss canton of the same name and is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Neuchâtel, between the lake and the foothills of the Jura Mountains. The French-speaking city is known for its historic centre, lakeside setting, university and watchmaking heritage. The present municipality has approximately 45,000 residents following its merger with Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux and Valangin in 2021.
Public transport in Neuchâtel is principally operated by Transports publics neuchâtelois (transN), whose network includes buses, trolleybuses, funiculars and regional railway services. The city’s three funiculars connect the lakeside and lower city with the railway station and higher neighbourhoods.
Neuchâtel railway station is an important regional and intercity interchange, providing connections towards Biel/Bienne, Bern, Lausanne, Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds. The surviving tram-derived line, marketed as Littorail and designated R15, connects the city centre with lakeside communities to the southwest and the town of Boudry.
Neuchâtel’s surviving tram route is the approximately nine-kilometre Littorail line between Neuchâtel, Place Pury and Boudry. Although transN now presents it as regional railway line R15, it developed from the former Neuchâtel tram network and retains the character of an interurban tramway. Most of the route runs on its own alignment through communities along the northern shore of Lake Neuchâtel.
The name Littorail combines littoral, referring to the lakeside region, with rail. Services normally operate every 20 minutes and complete the journey between Neuchâtel and Boudry in approximately 19 minutes.
Neuchâtel currently has 1 tram line, details of which can be found on the Lines tab.
The first tramway in the Neuchâtel region opened on 16 September 1892 between Neuchâtel and Boudry, with a branch from Areuse to Cortaillod. It was built by the Régional Neuchâtel–Boudry–Cortaillod and initially operated using steam traction before being electrified in 1902.
A separate urban route between Neuchâtel and Saint-Blaise opened in 1893. Its unusual gas-powered trams proved unsuccessful and were replaced by horse-drawn vehicles before the line was electrified in 1897.
The urban network expanded rapidly around the turn of the 20th century. New routes connected the port with the railway station in 1898, Place Pury with Serrières in 1899, Place Pury with Vauseyon in 1901 and Peseux with Corcelles in 1902.
The principal tramway companies combined in 1901 to form the Compagnie des Tramways de Neuchâtel. Further development eventually produced a network of approximately 27 kilometres, with as many as six routes operating during the system’s greatest extent in the 1920s.
Neuchâtel’s urban tram routes were progressively replaced by trolleybuses between 1940 and 1976. The final urban tram route, between Place Pury and Corcelles, closed on 11 July 1976, leaving only the interurban line between Neuchâtel and Boudry.
The branch between Areuse and Cortaillod survived longer but was replaced by buses in June 1984. Its closure established the present arrangement of a single railway corridor between Neuchâtel and Boudry.
The surviving Neuchâtel–Boudry line was comprehensively modernised in the early 1980s, receiving new vehicles, upgraded infrastructure and the Littorail identity. Part of the alignment near Serrières was subsequently relocated during construction of the N5 road.
The former Compagnie des Tramways de Neuchâtel later became part of the regional public-transport organisation now known as transN. Replacement vehicles with low-floor sections entered service on Littorail in 2019, allowing the historic interurban route to remain an important part of the modern regional transport network.
Map of Neuchâtel's current tram system
Neuchâtel currently has 1 tram line, which is listed below. To see more information about the line, click on the link in the table below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| R15 | Line R15 runs between Neuchâtel, Place Pury and Boudry via Serrières, Auvernier, Colombier and Areuse. |
A possible eastward extension of Littorail from its present terminus at Place Pury towards the university and Maladière district has been studied for many years. The project is intended to improve access to the eastern side of the city and could form part of the longer-term development of Neuchâtel’s regional rail network.
Preliminary studies have considered different alignments and whether the extension should operate as a railway or a more urban tramway. The project remains at the planning stage and currently has no confirmed construction programme or opening date.