Orbe-Chavornay railway explained

Orbe-Chavornay railway line
Type:Light rail
Status:Operational
Locale:Canton of Vaud, Switzerland
End:Chavornay
Stations:4
Routes:1
Open:1894
Owner:TRAVYS
Operator:TRAVYS
Linelength:3.9km (02.4miles)
Tracks:Single track
Electrification:750 V DC overhead wire

The Orbe-Chavornay railway (O-C) is a 3.9 km standard gauge railway in Vaud, Switzerland, linking the towns of Orbe and Chavornay (where there is an interchange with trains of the Swiss Federal Railways. The line was opened in 1894 and was operated by electric traction from the start - the first electrified standard-gauge railway in Switzerland. The line was initially operated with a direct current overhead power supply 600 Volts and is now 750 Volts.

Since 2001 the line has been operated by the Transports Vallée de Joux - Yverdon-les-Bains - Ste-Croix (TRAVYS).

Modernisation

As of 2017-18 the line is being modernised and upgraded to handle longer trains. The electrification system will be changed to the standard Swiss Federal Railways system of 15 KV alternating current.[1] To ease the transition and after the existing railcars faced technical defects, Travys acquired two GT8-100C/2S EMUs of Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft, which – having operated as tram-trains in Karlsruhe – are equipped with both 750 V DC and 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC electric traction. Since July 2022, these two EMUs are operating on the line.[2]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.travys.ch/entreprise/les-projets-en-developpement/projet-de-modernisation-de-loc/ TRAVYS website: upgrading of railway (accessed 8 January 2018)
  2. Web site: Budach . Dirk . 2022-08-31 . Karlsruhe Tram-Train in Switzerland: A new service between Chavornay and Orbe . 2024-04-30 . Urban Transport Magazine . en-US.