Spiez–Zweisimmen railway

The Spiez–Zweisimmen railway is a single-track standard-gauge line in Switzerland that is currently operated by BLS AG. It was formerly owned by the Spiez-Erlenbach-Zweisimmen-Bahn (SEZ), also called the Simmentalbahn (Simme Valley Railway). The line runs from Spiez through the Simmental to Zweisimmen. It is marketed as part of the GoldenPass Line between Lucerne and Montreux, which also includes the metre-gauge Brünig Railway and Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line and part of the standard-gauge Lake Thun Railway.

Spiez-Zweisimmen railway
RBDe 565 push-pull train with Jumbo intermediate coach between Boltigen and Weissenbach
Overview
OwnerBLS
Line number320
Termini
Technical
Line length34.90 km (21.69 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification15 kV  16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Maximum incline2.5%
Route map

km
0.00
Spiez
628 m
1.57
Spiezmoos Süd
until 2011
626 m
2.45
Lattigen bei Spiez
625 m
3.49
Eifeld
626 m
4.54
Wimmis
629 m
7.16
Burgholz
644 m
9.33
Oey-Diemtigen
670 m
11.29
Erlenbach im Simmental
681 m
13.79
Ringoldingen
712 m
16.10
Därstetten
758 m
17.64
Weissenburg
782 m
20.90
Oberwil im Simmental
837 m
22.63
Enge im Simmental
814 m
25.90
Boltigen
817 m
26.99
Reidenbach
825 m
28.89
Weissenbach
843 m
31.82
Grubenwald
910 m
34.90
Zweisimmen
942 m
Source: Swiss railway atlas[1]

The SEZ was formed on 1 January 1942 from the merger of the Spiez-Erlenbach-Bahn (SEB), which opened the line from Spiez to Erlenbach on 16 August 1897, and the Erlenbach-Zweisimmen-Bahn (EZB), which opened the line from Erlenbach to Zweisimmen on 31 October 1902.

RABe 535 Lötschberger in Zweisimmen station.

In June 1997, the SEZ merged with the Gürbetal-Bern-Schwarzenburg-Bahn (GBS), the Bern-Neuenburg-Bahn (BN) and the Berner Alpenbahn-Gesellschaft Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon (BLS) to form the BLS Lötschbergbahn, which itself merged with the Regionalverkehr Mittelland to form the BLS AG in 2006.

In Zweisimmen there is a connection to the narrow-gauge Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line of the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB), which runs from Lake Geneva to Lenk im Simmental. Local services operate hourly over the line. Regional Express services operate every two hours.[2]

500 franc share certificate of the Erlenbach-Zweisimmen-Bahn issued on 4 February 1903

References

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  1. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz [Swiss railway atlas]. Schweers + Wall. 2012. pp. 10, 21. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  2. ^ "320: Spiez–Zweisimmen" (PDF) (in German). Official Swiss Railway Timetable. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.