BLS AG

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Rail network (infrastructure) after merger: blue lines belonged to BLS Lötschbergbahn, red lines to Regionalverkehr Mittelland
Rail network (infrastructure) after merger: blue lines belonged to BLS Lötschbergbahn, red lines to Regionalverkehr Mittelland

BLS AG is a company erected in the 2006 merger of BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG. It is owned by the Canton of Berne at 55.8 % and the Swiss Confederation at 21.7 %. There are two main business fields: passenger traffic and infrastructure.

BLS has a subsidiary BLS Cargo which is responsible for all freight operations. BLS Cargo works in cooperation with the freight subsidiary Railion of the Deutsche Bahn. However, staff, apart from management and sale, is employed by BLS AG. Part of the BLS locomotive fleet is owned by BLS Cargo.

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[edit] Infrastructure

2007 opened the new, 34.6 km long new Lötschberg base tunnel which is part of the 449 km of infrastructure owned and operated by BLS AG. For details of the network see the map at right. The Lötschberg base tunnel was built by a 100%-subsidiary BLS AlpTransit AG. By mid-2007 this company handed over the base tunnel to BLS AG. It is planned that the whole infrastructure will be passed over to a separate company BLS Netz AG. Ownwership of this company will mainly be at the Swiss Confederation, that has paid for most of the recent investments.

[edit] Passenger train services

BLS has since the merger been the exclusive operator of the standard gauge part of the S-Bahn Bern. This includes services in open access over SBB-CFF-FFS and STB Sensetalbahn tracks. Since December 2007 BLS offers a new RegioExpress service over the old Lötschberg route while most SBB and Cisalpino InterCity and EuroCity trains use the new Lötschberg tunnel. Here is a full list of regular BLS train services:

S-Bahn Bern
  • S1 Laupen/Fribourg-Bern-Münsingen-Thun
  • S11 Bern-Flamatt-Fribourg[-Romont]
  • S2 Schwarzenburg-Bern-Konolfingen-Langnau
  • S22 Bern-Köniz-Schwarzenburg
  • S3 Biel/Bienne-Lyss-Bern-Belp(-Thun)
  • S33 Bern-Belp-Thun
  • S4 (Rosshäusern-)Bern Brünnen Westside-Bern-Burgdorf-Ramsei-Affoltern-W.
  • S44 Rosshäusern-Bern Brünnen Westside-Bern-Burgdorf-Wiler/Langnau
  • S5 Bern-Kerzers-Neuenburg/Murten(-Payerne)
  • S51 Bern-Stöckacker-Bümpliz Nord
S-Bahn Luzern
  • S6 Langenthal-Huttwil-Willisau-Wolhusen-Luzern
  • S7 (Langenthal-Huttwil-)Willisau-Wolhusen-Trubschachen
RegioExpress
  • RegioExpress Bern-Langnau-Luzern
  • RegioExpress Thun-Konolfingen-Burgdorf-Solothurn
  • RegioExpress Bern-Neuenburg
  • RegioExpress Bern-Münsingen-Spiez-Brig
Regional trains
  • Regio Interlaken Ost-Spiez-Zweisimmen
  • Regio Spiez-Frutigen (einzelne Verdichtungen zum RE)
  • Regio Thun-Konolfingen-Hasle Rüegsau(-Burgdorf)
  • Regio Burgdorf-Solothurn
  • Regio Solothurn-Moutier
  • Regio Kerzers-Lyss-Büren a. Aare

[edit] Other passenger services

BLS owns the lake steamers of the Brienzersee and Thunersee. Furthermore, BLS also provides some Bus services, connecting to the train services.

[edit] External links

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