Basel tramway network | |||
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![]() A BLT tram in Basel | |||
Operation | |||
Locale | Basel, Switzerland | ||
Open | 6 May 1895 | ||
Status | Operational | ||
Lines | 12 | ||
Operator(s) |
| ||
Infrastructure | |||
Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||
Electrification | 650 V DC [1] | ||
Statistics | |||
Route length | 128.5 km (79.8 mi) | ||
| |||
Website | http://www.bvb.ch Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (in German) |
The Basel tramway network (German : Basler Strassenbahn-Netz) is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Basel, Switzerland, and its agglomeration - it also reaches into adjacent suburbs in Germany and France. The only two other tramway networks to cross an international border are Geneva's and Strasbourg's tramways. The Basel tram system consists of 12 lines. Due to its longevity (the network is now more than a century old), it is part of Basel's heritage and, alongside the Basel Minster, is one of the symbols of the city.
The trams on the network are operated by two transport providers: Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (Basel Transport Service) (BVB) and Baselland Transport (BLT). Both operators are part of the integrated fare network Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz (TNW), which in itself is part of the three countries-integrated fare network triregio. [2] [3] [4]
BVB is owned by, and operates in, Basel-Stadt, the small canton comprising the city of Basel and two smaller municipalities, both situated right of the Rhine. Its green trams operate mostly in the city, although the termini of its lines 3, 6, and 14 are in the more rural canton of Basel-Land, line 8 terminates across the frontier in Germany, and line 3 in France.
BLT is owned by Basel-Land, and its yellow and red trams operate in the outer suburbs to the south of Basel, and at one point pass through the territory of France. [5] However, the three lines it operates, lines 10, 11 and 17, all also run over BVB track in central Basel. In addition line 14, while owned by BLT, is operated by BVB well into Basel-Land.
The first line of the Basel tramway network was opened on 6 May 1895. It followed the route Centralbahnhof–Marktplatz–Mittlere Brücke–Aeschenplatz–Badischer Bahnhof.
The network grew quickly. In 1897, six new sections were put in service, with one linking Basel and Birsfelden.
In 1900, the Basel tramway network acquired an international dimension, when a new cross-border line was opened to Sankt-Ludwig (now Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin), in the then German Empire. The line operated till 1950. In 1910, a second international line was opened to Hüningen (now Huningue also Haut Rhin), which was used until 1961. The line to Lörrach in Baden, Germany, was opened in 1919 and worked till 1967.
Since 1887, the tram from Basel to Rodersdorf, now part of Baselland Transport line n° 10, passed (and passes) through the village of Leymen in Alsace. But that Birsigthalbahn (Birsig Valley Railway) would be joined to the general tram network of Basel as late as in 1984.
From 1900 until 1936, at least one section of the network was modified each year. In 1934, upon the opening of a new section of line from Margarethenstr. to Binningen, the network reached its greatest length of 72 km (45 mi).
During the two World Wars, services were suspended on the parts of the line extending beyond Switzerland's borders. After World War II, several lines were closed. In 1958, the total length of the network's routes was 51.7 km (32.1 mi).
In 1974, the several companies that had been operating the suburban lines were merged to form the new company bearing the name Baselland Transport AG (BLT).
As of 2022, [update] the Basel tram network comprises 12 lines. Nine are operated by BVB and three by BLT. The combined line length of the 12 lines is 128.5 kilometres (79.8 mi). [6] [7] [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]
No. | Route | Route length | Operator | Route map |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dreirosenbrücke – Brausebad - Bahnhof SBB (– Badischer Bahnhof) | 7.31 kilometres (4.54 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
2 | Binningen Kronenplatz – Badischer Bahnhof - Eglisee (– Riehen Fondation Beyeler) | 9.26 kilometres (5.75 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
3 | Saint-Louis (France) Burgfelderhof – Breite - Birsfelden Hard | 9.58 kilometres (5.95 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
6 | Allschwil - Morgartenring – Badischer Bahnhof -Riehen Grenze | 12.58 kilometres (7.82 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
8 | Neuweilerstrasse – Kleinhüningen Weil am Rhein (Germany) | 10.23 kilometres (6.36 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
10 | Rodersdorf - Flüh - Ettingen – Bahnhof SBB - Münchenstein-Dornach | 25.974 kilometres (16.139 mi) | BLT | ![]() |
11 | St. Louis Grenze – Bahnhof SBB - Reinach Dorf - Aesch | 14.235 kilometres (8.845 mi) | BLT | ![]() |
14 | Dreirosenbrücke Aeschenplatz – Basel St. Jakob - Muttenz Dorf - Pratteln | 12.81 kilometres (7.96 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
15 | Messeplatz – Bruderholz | 5.39 kilometres (3.35 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
16 | Bruderholz – Schifflände | 5.48 kilometres (3.41 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
17 | Wiesenplatz – Ettingen | 12.215 kilometres (7.590 mi) | BLT | ![]() |
21 | Bahnhof St. Johann – Badischer Bahnhof | 3.50 kilometres (2.17 mi) | BVB | ![]() |
The Basel tram network is unusual in crossing international borders.
Line 10 to Rodersdorf runs via Leymen in France. For customs purposes the trams operate through France as privileged transit traffic. Passengers remaining on the tram are not subject to customs rules. Passengers may get on or off the tram in Leymen only if they are carrying goods within the customs limits.
In 2014, line 8 was extended across the border to Weil am Rhein station, in Germany.
Construction started in 2015 to extend Line 3 from its then-terminus at Bourgfelden Grenze to Saint-Louis station in France. [8] The extension opened in 2017. [9] Late-night services on the cross-border line were suspended in 2019 due to a series of attacks in which laser pointers were used to obstruct the vision of tram operators. [10]
The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), literally translated into English as the Leipzig Transport Authority, operates the tramway and bus transport services in Leipzig, Germany. The LVB network is a part of the regional public transport association, the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV). The LVB was formed by the merger, from 1 January 1917, of two predecessor undertakings, the Großen Leipziger Straßenbahn and the Leipziger Elektrischen Straßenbahn. The merged undertaking was also known as GLSt until it was reorganized and renamed as the LVB, from 29 July 1938.
Baselland Transport AG (BLT) is a Swiss public transport operator in the cantons of Basel-Land, Basel-Stadt, Solothurn and in France. The BLT was founded in 1974, and is owned by the Canton of Basel-Land, located to the south of the city. It transports some 48 million passengers per year, using a fleet of 64 buses and 100 trams over a network of 165 kilometres (103 mi) of bus routes and 65 kilometres (40 mi) of tram routes.
BLT's tram line 10 is an international tramway line in Europe which is 25.6 kilometres (15.9 mi) in length. The line in the region of Basel, Switzerland, is operated by Baselland Transport (BLT).
Basel SBB railway station is the central railway station in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Opened in 1854, and completely rebuilt in 1900–1907, it is Europe's busiest international border station. Basel SBB is owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS). The other major railway station is Basel Badischer Bahnhof, operated by the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, on the north side of the Rhine from the city centre.
The Waldenburg railway is a narrow-gauge light rail system in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland. The 13.1-kilometre (8.1 mi) long single-track line runs from Liestal, the capital of the canton, to Waldenburg, with stops in Bubendorf, Hölstein, Niederdorf, and Oberdorf. It connects to SBB train services in Liestal railway station. The line was temporarily closed between April 2021 and December 2022 for modernisation and conversion to metre gauge.
Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Basel, and is wholly owned by canton of Basel-Stadt, which consists of city of Basel and the municipalities of Bettingen and Riehen. The BVB was founded in 1895, and became a self-governing public corporation on 1 January 2006. It transports 132 million passengers per year, an average of roughly 360,000 a day. It operates 128 motor trams and 74 trailers on 9 tram routes, as well as 99 buses on a total of 13 bus routes. These are kept operating by 1200 employees. BVB jointly operates the Basel tram network with Baselland Transport AG (BLT), owned by the adjoining canton of Basel-Land. Whilst the green colored BVB tends to operate the shorter urban services, its tram routes do extend beyond the inner city into Basel-Land and parts of the German city of Weil am Rhein. Likewise the yellow BLT trams operate into the city centre. Both are part of the integrated fare network Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz (TNW), which in itself is part of the three countries-integrated fare network triregio.
The Geneva tramway network is a network of tramways forming the core element of the public transport system in Geneva, Switzerland. It is operated by Transports Publics Genevois (TPG), and is supplemented by the Geneva trolleybus system and the Geneva bus system.
The Geneva trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the second largest trolleybus system in Switzerland, after the Lausanne system.
The Neuchâtel tramway is a tramway forming part of the public transport system in Neuchâtel, a city in Switzerland.
The Basel trolleybus system was part of the public transport network of Basel, Switzerland, for nearly six decades. Opened in 1941, it combined after 1997 with the Basel Regional S-Bahn, the Basel tramway network and Basel's urban motorbus network to form an integrated all-four style scheme until its closure in 2008.
Liestal railway station is a railway station in Switzerland, in the municipality of Liestal and canton of Basel-Landschaft. The station is on the Swiss Federal Railway's Hauenstein main line, which connects Basel and Olten. It is served by five trains per hour to Basel, four trains per hour to Olten, and hourly trains to Interlaken, Lucerne, and Zürich. Several trains a day operate through to Frankfurt and Berlin. The station is also the junction for, and terminus of, the Waldenburg narrow gauge railway, which operates a half-hourly train service to Waldenburg. The Waldenburg line closed in April 2021 for conversion to 1,000 mm gauge. Since 2019, the Swiss Federal Railways has been undertaking renovation and expansion works at Liestal which were commissioned by the federal government and which are due to be completed in 2025.
The Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz, also known by its initialisation TNW, is a Swiss public transport tariff network covering the whole of the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, together with parts of the cantons of Aargau, Jura and Solothurn.
Basel Dreispitz railway station is a railway station in the city of Basel, in the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt. It is an intermediate stop on the Basel–Biel/Bienne line and is served by local trains only. The station was built in 2005 despite numerous objections from local residents and was opened in May 2006. In 2008 the station was awarded a Brunel Award by the Watford Group. It offers transfer possibilities on tram lines of Baselland Transport as well as bus lines of the same company and the Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe.
The Basel–Dornach railway line is a 1,000 mm railway line in Switzerland. It runs 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) from Dornach-Arlesheim to the border of Basel-Stadt, near Basel Dreispitz, where it connects with the Basel tram network. The line was built by the Birseckbahn in 1902 and is now owned by Baselland Transport, which operates Line 10 of the Basel tram network over the line.
The Basel–Aesch railway line is a 1,000 mm railway line in Switzerland. It runs 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi) from Aesch to the border of Basel-Stadt, near Basel Dreispitz, where it connects with the Basel tram network. The line was built by the Trambahn Basel-Aesch in 1907 and is now owned by Baselland Transport, which operates Line 11 of the Basel tram network over the line.
The Basel–Pratteln railway line is a 1,000 mm railway line in Switzerland. It runs 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) from Pratteln to the border of Basel-Stadt, across the river Birs from St. Jakob-Park, where it connects with the Basel tram network. The line was built by the Basellandschaftliche Ueberlandbahn in 1921 and is now owned by Baselland Transport. Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe operates line 14 of the Basel tram network over the line.
The Basel–Rodersdorf railway line is a 1,000 mm railway line in Switzerland and France. It runs 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) from Rodersdorf, in the Swiss canton of Solothurn, to the border of Basel-Stadt, near the Basel Zoo, where it connects with the Basel tram network. The line crosses through the southern part of the French department of Haut-Rhin, serving the commune of Leymen. The line was built by the Birsigthalbahn-Gesellschaft in stages between 1887 and 1902 as a conventional steam-hauled line. It was later electrified, and is now owned by Baselland Transport, which operates lines 10 and 17 of the Basel tram network over the line.