Railways

Trams in Switzerland

In Switzerland tram systems exist in the cities of Geneva, Neuchatel, Bern, Zürich, and Basel. Unfortunately, I hardly took any photos of them. Only in Bern I decided to point my camera at a few trams for some hours. In Bern the trams are operated by the City Transport Corporation, which is generally known under the brand Bernmobil.

The Bubenbergplatz at the main station of Bern is also the centre for the tram network. All lines meet here. Therefore, there is constant traffic under the large glass canopy. [Sep 2015].

This is the network plan of the trams in Bern. The network has five lines: 3, 6, 7, 8 und 9. [2021].
Line 3 connects the station with Weissenbühl. It is the shortest line of the network. A tram operating on Line 3 meets a tram on Line 6 at Hirschengraben. [Jan 2018].
Near the stop Kocherpark two Line 3 trams meet. [Sep 2015].
The southern part of Line 9 was closed for maintenance for a few weeks, so that the northern part of Line 9 was combined with Line 3. A Line 3/9 tram has just left the terminus Weissenbühl on its route to Wankdorf. [Sep 2015].
This tram is about to arrive at Weissenbühl, the terminal of Line 3. [Sep 2015].
These Combino-Trams manufactured by Siemens entered service from 2002 and some were lengthened in 2009. One of these trams is ready to depart on a Line 6 service from Fischermätteli, one of the terminals on this line. [May 2015].
The railway line through the Gürbe Valley passes directly by the terminal Fischermätteli. But there is no railway station here, so that there is no connection between tram and trains. A class 515 railcar of the BLS hurries past the tram. [Sep 2015].
Line 6 continues Worb. The route to Worb used to be operated by RBS, which acquired two-directional trams for this service. When Bernmobil took over the operation of this route, it continued to use these trams, though they are still owned by RBS. One of the blue, two-directional trams at Bern main station. [Sep 2015].
Two blue trams meet in Marktgasse. The trams to Worb are the only blue vehicles in use for Bern public transport. The blue trains were made famous through a radio sketch. [Sep 2015].
From 2023 onwards Stadler delivered 20 bi-directional and 7 uni-directional vehicles of its model Tramlink. These trams replaced the blue bi-directional trams and the Vevey trams and were also used on Line 6. [Apr 2025].
One of the new Tramlink trams crosses the Kirchenfeld Bridge. That's the view from the minster platform. [Apr 2025].
The blue trams entered service in 1987. Their design is based on the Zürich Tram 2000 series. In 2010 low-floor centre sections were added, which are now painted red. One of the trams on the Kirchenfeld Bridge. [Sep 2015].
Once Bernmobil took over the operation of the line to Worb, turning circles were built in Worb and the Siloah Hospital. That allowed the uni-directional Combino-Trams to be used on Line 6. One of these trams to Worb is seen on the Kirchenfeld Bridge. [Sep 2015].
A blue tram in Muri. In a few years the little blue train to Worb will be no longer, as new red trams will take over on this route. [Sep 2015].
In Muri there is a real tram station. [Sep 2015].
A Combino-Tram arrives in Muri from Worb. [Sep 2015].
In Gümligen the tram line crosses the railway line Bern - Thun. Trams then continue to the stop on the station square of Gümligen. [Sep 2015].
A Combino-Tram has crossed the bridge and is about to arrive at Gümligen Station. A BLS Lötschberger RegioExpress hurries through Gümligen. [Sep 2015].
A Tramlink tram arrives in Gümligen at the station square. These trams are 42.5 m long and 2.3 m wide. They have a capacity of up to 260 passengers, most of them standing. [Jun 2025].
A Stadler Tramlink tram arrives at the station square of Gümligen, while a Stadler (KISS) MUTZ electric multiple unit operated by BLS arrives at one of the station platforms. [Jun 2025].
These semi-low-floor trams manufactured by DUEWAG entered service from 1989. They have a small step at many of the doors. One of the trams crosses the Kirchenfeld Bridge. In the background is the Bundeshaus Bern, the seat of the Swiss government. [Sep 2015].
That's the view from below of the Kirchenfeld Bridge. A Combino-Tram crosses the bridge. [Sep 2015].
Line 7 runs between Bümpliz via Bern Main Station and the city centre to the terminal Ostring. A DUEWAG-Tram travels the streets near the stop Burgernziel, not far from the terminal Ostring. [Sep 2015].
The same tram near the Catholic Church Bruder Klaus. These trams are also called Vevey-Trams, because the body shell was built in Vevey. [Sep 2015].
A tram on Line 7 towards Ostring turns from Hirschengraben into the Bubenbergplatz. [Jan 2018].
Line 8 runs from the mall and spa centre Brünnen Westside via Bethlehem, Bern Main station and the city centre to Saali. A tram has just arrived on the turning loop on the large square near the large shopping and spa centre. [Sep 2015].
A Combino-Tram waits at the terminal stop of Brünnen Westside. This is right beside the railway station. Above the tram the platforms of the railway station with a station clock are visible. [Sep 2015].
A tram passes the entrance to the shopping centre Brünnen Westside to arrive at the station stop. [May 2025].
This tram has just left the terminal of Brünnen Westside. The next tram is already arriving from the opposite direction. [Sep 2015].
Near Holenacker lawn track has been installed. With grass between the rails, trams run across a green corridor. [Sep 2015].
Between Bern-Bethlehem and Holenacker the trams also run on green tracks beside the road. Such tracks lower noise and temperatures. [May 2025].
A Line 8 tram travelling towards Saali arrives at the stop Hirschengraben in the city. [Jan 2018].
Combino Tram 757 advertised its manufacturer Siemens for a few years. At this time Bernmobil was considering the purchase of new trams. The advertising did not help: Bernmobil decided to buy trams from competitor Stadler Rail. In the background is the Church of the Holy Spirit. [Jan 2018].
On a rainy evening a Combino Classic Tram stands on the Bern station square with full advertising for the Lindenhof Group. The Lindenhof Group has several hospitals in Bern. Behind it is a Line 12 bus with destination to the Insel Hospital, which is run by the Insel Group, the other main provider of hospital care in Bern. [Jun 2025].
The advertising on the tram has designs that are meant to represent total health care. The Lindehof Group also provides maternity care. [Jun 2025].
It seems that health care is big business in Switzerland. Another Combino Tram caries advertising for health insurance. [Jun 2025].
In the city centre tram tracks run through the gate of the Käfigturm. For trams running in the other direction a gap has been cut into the former city wall. This tram passing through the Käfigturm is the new version of the Combino-Tram, which was introduced from 2009. [Sep 2015].
A Combino Tram crosses over the Kirchenfeldbrücke, which runs high above the River Aare. In the background is the Bern Minster. [Apr 2025].
An extended Combino Tram travels across the Kirchenfeld Bridge. The doors of the trams are now highlighted in white. [Apr 2025].
The stop Brunnadernstrasse is in the middle of the street. When a tram approaches all cars are stopped by a traffic light, while the tram continues to the stop. [Sep 2015].
When the tram has stopped, passengers cross the vehicle lanes and board the tram, while the cars wait. Only when the tram has left the stop and continued on its way, the traffic lights turn green so that cars can also continue. [Sep 2015].
Line 9 runs from Wabern via Bern Main Station, the city centre and Viktoriaplatz to Wankdorf. A Line 9 Combino Tram is near the stop Wabern-Gurtenbahn. The tram has advertising for the Bern football team Young Boy, which was the Swiss champion in 2024. [Jun 2025].
The Young Boys tram operates on Line 9, here near Monbijou. The team did not become the Swiss football chapmion in 2025. In summer 2025 Line 9 was interrupted, because the Kornhaus Bridge had to be repaired. In the south the trams only operated between Wabern and Bern Station. [May 2025].
Most trams did not carry full body advertising and still operated in the classic red of Bernmobil. A Combino Tram travels through the suburb of Monbijou. [May 2025].
Line 9 runs from Wabern via Bern Main Station, the city centre and Viktoriaplatz to Wankdorf. A Line 9 Combino Tram turns into the Bubenbergplatz at the same time as a Bernmobil bus. [Jan 2018].
A tram operating on Line 9 towars Wabern makes its way through the busy streets of Bern. Not far behind it is a Line 8 tram. Trolley buses, too, find space in the streets and on the catenary above. [Jan 2018].
A Combino-Tram on Line 9 passes the Käfigturm. [Sep 2015].
That's the interior of a quite empty Combino-Tram. [Sep 2015].
At the time when I took these photos the southern part of Line 9 to Wabern was closed for maintenance. Instead trams from the northern part continued on Line 3 on a combined Line 3/9 route. A tram in the direction of Wankdorf has just travelled past the Zytglogge, the famous clock tower of Bern. [Sep 2015].
A Combino Tram crosses the Kornhaus Bridge to the city centre. [Sep 2015].
The red trams of Bern make it easy to get across town in Bern. They offer a capacity on some key routes, which buses just cannot offer. [Sep 2015].
A Combino-Tram on Kornhaus Bridge. [Sep 2015].
The Kornhaus Bridge had to repaired in 2025. That meant that no trams could travel across the bridge. One section of Line 9 continued to operated between Wankdorf Station and the stop Kursaal. For that the Stadler Tramlink trams were used, because they are bi-directional. [Jul 2025].
The interior of the Tramlink trams is quite spacious and light. The grey wooden seats are actually quite comfortable for the relatively short trips. [Apr 2025].
A Tramlink tram on its way from Wankdorf to Kursaal travels through the suburb Breitenrain. [Jul 2025].
A tram on Line 9 stops at the Breitenrain tram stop. In the background is a branch of the second-biggest supermarket chain in Switzerland, Coop. [Jul 2025].
The interior of a Stadler Tramlink vehicle in the evening. It is ready for departure as it waits at Wankdorf Station. [May 2025].
In the evening a tram arrives at Wankdorf Station. The well-known Wankdorf Stadium is not far away. With the Tram Line 9 it is normally possible to reach the city centre through Breitenrain. But the line was interrupted at the Kornhaus Bridge, so that this tram only travelled to Kursaal. [May 2025].
The tram network in Zürich is the largest in Switzerland. The Tram 2000 class was introduced in 1976. One of the trams at the stop Römerhof. [Dec 2015].
A Tram 2000 in the evening at the stop Stauffacher. [Dec 2015].
From 2003 to 2005 low floor suspended middle sections were inserted into several Tram 2000 trams. One of those trams travels on Line 8 at Helvetiaplatz. [May 2025].
The Cobra-Trams were developed specifically for Zürich. The main series entered service from 2005 onwards. They are entirely low-floor trams. A Cobra-Tram in the Bahnhofstrasse. [Aug 2015].
A Cobra-Tram at night near the stop Stauffacher. [Dec 2015].
Up to 2010 a total of 88 Cobra trams were delivered to Zürich. One of those travels along the Zürich lake shore. I took the photo from a ship. [May 2025].
Like many other tram systems in Switzerland, the Zürich tram also has a 1 m gauge. A Cobra tram rounds the corner near Stauffacher. [May 2025].
Since 2020 the new Flexity Zürich trams are in operation in Zürich. These trams were developed by Bombardier and are based on their Flexity series. Bombardier was taken over by Alstom in 2021, so that most of the trams are delivered by that company. A total of 136 vehicles have been ordered, which will be delivered by 2029 and replace all remaining Tram 2000 vehicles. [May 2025].
The Flexity trams are 42.86 m long and have seven sections. Due to their length they cannot operate on all of the tram lines in Zürich. The trams have capacity for up to 279 passengers. [May 2025].