Trams in Biel facts for kids

There was a tram system in Biel, Switzerland, from 1877 to 1948. As the idea of having trams was not popular, there was only one route from Bözingen to Nidau. The tram was originally a horse carriage on rails. There were only a few carriages from other tram systems. Although it was very small there were summer and winter carriages. After Biel City bought the system in 1901, it became electrical with more carriages and a bigger route. The tram was not very popular and the owner did not earn much money. This was the reason why only very few routes were built. All the four routes started at the train station in Biel, today known as ‘Zentralplatz’. The tram to Meinisberg went through Mett but because there was a big distance between Biel and Meinisberg, there were only a few stations. Biel City started to reduced the system in 1930. First, route 1 and 2 became route 1. Then, in 1940, routes 2 and 3 were replaced by buses and finally, route 1 became a bus route, too.

Today

Biel has a well-organized bus system since 1948. It grew more and more and is quite large, with over 15 different routes today. Some of them use the old tram routes but more were added, especially in the last 20 years. There are also different bus types today. Some are electrical, others run on fuel.

Images for kids

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  Ce 2/2 1–12 electric tramcar in Zentralplatz / Place Centrale, 1903.