Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon railway

The BLS Lötschberg Bahn AG is a former private railway company in Switzerland. With a standard-gauge rail network of 245 kilometers in length, it was one of the major private railways in Switzerland. She entertained the north-south traffic (freight and rolling highway ) via the Lötschberg ( Lötschberg line) and was responsible for regional transport in Greater Bern. It also ran the boat trip on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The BLS Lötschberg Bahn AG was established in June 2006 with the Regional Mittelland (RM ) merged to form the new BLS AG, the new company has been operational since 27 June 2006.

History

The BLS was established on July 27, 1906 under the name of the Bernese Alps Railway Company Bern -Lötschberg- Simplon for the construction of the Lötschberg line. Since July 24, 1901 already drove from Spiez to Frutigen the Spiez -Lenk -Bahn; this course was on January 1, 1907 for Rs. 3'558'680 .67 adopted by the BLS. The first snap shots on October 15, 1906 announced the start of construction of the Lötschberg tunnel. In the same year the Simplon tunnel SBB was completed. 1911, the Lötschberg tunnel (length 14'612 m) was between Kandersteg and Goppenstein pierced. As the access ramps were built finished on both sides, the continuous operation could be taken from Spiez to Brig on July 15, 1913.

The already since opening with 15,000 V and 16 2/3 Hz electrified and from 33 tunnels, 3 avalanche galleries as well as 22 bridges existing Lötschberg axis became an important railway line in international traffic, especially between Alsace and Italy ( Domodossola ). The test track and as precursors for the electrical operation since November 1, 1910 electrically betreiebene Spiez -Lenk was built initially for 15 Hz. The system was adjusted to 16 2/ 3 Hz after beginning 1913, the governments of Prussia, Bavaria and Baden firmly laid on 16 2/3 Hz train frequency. This change could be implemented without major structural change; only the speed controller of the generators had to be adjusted.

On January 1, 1913, the BLS merged with the Lake Thun railway (TSB ), in addition to the Lötschberg route ( Spiez- Brig), it included henceforth also the route Scherzligen (Thun) -Spiez -Interlaken - Bönigen and steam navigation on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. 1915, there was the distance of the Münster- Lengnau train ( MLB) to, but was legally from the beginning part of the BLS.

Between the BLS and following railway companies, from the beginning to an operating agreement:

• The Spiez- Erlenbach -Bahn and the alder -Zweisimmen -Bahn, 1942 merged to form a 35 km long Spiez- Erlenbach -Zweisimmen -Bahn (SEZ );
• The Gürbetalbahn and the Bern- Schwarzburg -Bahn in 1944 merged to 52 km long Guerbetal -Bern - Schwarzburg -Bahn (GBS );
• The 43 km Bern- Neuenburg -Bahn (BN ).

This " jointly operated railways " were legally independent companies with their own boards of directors. Management and operation concerned the BLS (and before it the TSB), which is why personnel and vehicles were used liberally. Only the rolling stock procurements had to be decided by the respective boards of directors, which is why individual differences were observed. This railway companies were majority owned by the canton of Bern, in the then large coal shortage decided after the First World War, by government decree, the railways were to electrify and immediately ordered the necessary locomotives, which the railways the nickname Bernese decree paths or the corresponding locomotives the name decree mills earned.

After the Alsace and Lorraine 1918 went to France, the original target transit from France shifted via Grenchenberg tunnel on the border crossing at Basel. But thanks to the growing freight traffic between Germany and Italy and travel to the Valais, the BLS no shortage of traffic.

Since the 1950s, the BLS operates a car-train through the Lötschberg tunnel. Thus, the large detour could be avoided by car via the Lake Geneva region.

Since 1992, the Lötschbergbahn is throughout double. The necessary work in 1977 included. At the request of the Federation, which was in 1906 approached for co-financing, the Lötschberg tunnel was built doppelspurig and prepared the access roads during the construction of the double track.

In 1997, the SEZ, GBS, BN merged with BLS to BLS Lötschberg Bahn AG. 2000 have signed a basic agreement SBB and BLS. This defines, among other things, that the BLS SBB Regional Transport (S- Bahn Bern ) and the regional express trains Bern -Luzern takes over and the SBB in return long-distance traffic on the BLS network. As of 12 December 2004, the contract was implemented.

Operation

In 2001, together with the Railion Germany AG and the shipper Ambrogio from Italy a subsidiary BLS Cargo AG was founded. The company offers above all in Alpine transit direct links between France and Germany to Italy for freight to. For truck transportation, the rolling highway is offered for RAlpin. The company has since its founding multiplied freight BLS from about 300 million to 2.8 billion Ntkm Ntkm (2005) and achieved a market share of 40 % in the Alpine transit through Switzerland in 2006.

The subsidiary BLS Alp Transit AG focused on the construction of the Lötschberg base tunnel.

Rolling stock (selection)

• BLS Fb 2 × 2 / 3101 ( test vehicle not used)
• BLS F 2 × 3/3 121 (1910), later Ce 6 / 6121
• Be 5 / 7151-163 (1913 ), later partly Ae 5/7 161-164 / 171
• Be 6/8 201-204 (1926/31), later Ae 6 /8 ( Breda locomotives )
• Ae 4/4 251-258 (1944-1955), new Ae 415; four piece in 1966 Æ8 / 8274-275 rebuilt
• Re 4/4 161-195 (1964-1983), newly re 425
• Re 420501-512, ex SBB Re 4/4II
• Re 465001-018 (1994-1997), Lok 2000
• Re 485001-020 (2002-2004), TRAXX F140 AC

• BLS Ce 2 /4 ( 1910) 781-783
• ABDe 4/8 741-743 (1945), sold to OeBB and RVT, 742 now in the Railway Museum Kerzers / Kallnach
• Be 4/4 761-763 (1953), 761 received as a historic train, rest canceled
• RBDe 565721-742 ( 1982-1992 ), private railway NPZ
• Catenary railcars Xm 2/2 BLS 9321-22 (1933 ), BN 9712 (1943) and 9711 (1929 ) 1943, 1948 designated as Tm 2/2 51-54