BLS AG facts for kids
BLS AG is a big railway company in Switzerland. It was created in 2006 when two other railway companies, BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG, joined together. Most of the company (55.8%) is owned by the canton of Berne, which is like a state in Switzerland. The Swiss government owns another part (21.7%). BLS AG mainly does two things: it carries passengers and it manages railway tracks and stations.
BLS AG also has special companies that handle different jobs. One of them is BLS Cargo, which is in charge of moving goods and freight by train. BLS Cargo often works with Railion, a German freight company. Even though they work together, most of the staff at BLS Cargo are actually employed by BLS AG. Some of the trains used for cargo also belong to BLS Cargo.
Another company, BLS Fernverkehr AG, focuses on long-distance passenger trips. This company is fully owned by BLS AG.
Contents
Train Tracks and Tunnels
BLS AG owns and takes care of a large network of railway tracks, about 449 kilometers long. A very important part of this network is the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. This tunnel is 34.6 kilometers long and opened in 2007. It helps trains travel faster through the mountains.
The Lötschberg Base Tunnel was built by a company called BLS AlpTransit AG, which was also owned by BLS AG. After the tunnel was finished, BLS AlpTransit AG handed it over to BLS AG. In 2009, this company changed its name to BLS Netz AG. Now, BLS Netz AG manages all the railway tracks and tunnels for BLS. The Swiss government owns most of BLS Netz AG because it helped pay for many of the new railway projects.
Here are some of the main railway lines that BLS AG owns:
- Bern–Neuchâtel railway line
- Moutier–Lengnau line
- Gürbetal railway line
- Lake Thun railway line
- Lötschberg railway line
- Spiez–Erlenbach–Zweisimmen railway line
- Solothurn–Moutier railway line
- Huttwil–Wolhusen railway line
- Langenthal–Huttwil railway
Trains and Locomotives
BLS AG uses many different types of trains and locomotives (the engines that pull trains). They have trains for passengers and special trains for cargo.
Here are some of the passenger trains BLS AG uses:
- BLS Re 420
- BLS Re 425
- BLS Re 465
- BLS RABe 515
- BLS RABe 525
- BLS RABe 526
- BLS RABe 528 (with more being delivered)
- BLS RABe 535
- BLS RBDe 565
- BLS RBDe 566
BLS Cargo, the freight part of the company, has its own trains too:
- BLS Re 425
- BLS Re 456
- BLS Re 465
- BLS Re 475
- BLS Re 485
- BLS Re 486
- BLS Am 845
In 2010, BLS ordered 28 new Stadler KISS trains, and the first one arrived in 2012. BLS planned to spend a lot of money to get more new trains by 2025. This helps them have a more standard set of trains. In 2017, they ordered 58 Stadler FLIRT trains, which started to be used between 2021 and 2026.
Passenger Train Services
Since the companies merged, BLS has been the main operator of the S-Bahn Bern, which is like a local train system for the city of Bern and its surrounding areas. They also run trains on tracks owned by other companies.
Since December 2007, BLS has offered a new RegioExpress (RE) service that uses the older Lötschberg route. Meanwhile, the faster InterCity (IC) and EuroCity (EC) trains use the newer Lötschberg Base Tunnel.
As of December 2024, BLS operates many different train lines. Here are some examples:
S-Bahn Bern Lines
These are local trains that connect Bern with nearby towns.
- S1 Fribourg/Freiburg – Bern – Thun
- S2 Laupen BE – Bern – Langnau i.E.
- S3 Biel/Bienne – Bern – Belp
- S4 Thun – Bern – Langnau i.E.
- S5 Bern – Neuchâtel / Avenches
- S6 Bern – Schwarzenburg
S-Bahn Luzern Lines
BLS also runs some local trains around Luzern.
- S6 Langnau i.E. – Luzern
- S7 Langenthal – Luzern
RegioExpress (RE) Lines
These trains connect regions and make fewer stops than S-Bahn trains.
- Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 425: "title" is missing from the data page. Bern – Brig (– Domodossola)
- Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 425: "title" is missing from the data page. Bern – Luzern
- Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 425: "title" is missing from the data page. Spiez – Zweisimmen
Regional Train (R) Lines
These are local trains that stop at most stations.
- Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 425: "title" is missing from the data page. Spiez – Zweisimmen
InterRegio (IR) Lines
These trains connect larger cities and regions.
Bern – Olten
Bern – Biel/Bienne
Car Shuttle Train (AV)
BLS also operates special trains that carry cars through tunnels. This is useful for drivers who want to avoid long mountain roads.
- AV 1 Brig – Iselle di Trasquera
- AV 2 Kandersteg – Iselle di Trasquera
- AV 3 Kandersteg – Goppenstein
BLS Busland
BLS Busland is another part of BLS AG. It runs a fleet of 36 buses. These buses help connect places that trains don't reach, making it easier for people to travel. They use buses from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.
BLS also owns and operates boats on two beautiful Swiss lakes: Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. These boats are part of the BLS Navigation brand. They use special canals to reach different parts of the lakes. One famous boat they have is the Blümlisalp, which is a paddle steamer built way back in 1906!
See also
In Spanish: BLS AG para niños
- Rail transport in Switzerland
