Orbe-Chavornay railway
Orbe-Chavornay railway line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Operational | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | TRAVYS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Canton of Vaud, Switzerland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termini | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stations | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Light rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | TRAVYS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1894 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 3.9 km (2.4 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of tracks | Single track | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification | 750 V DC overhead wire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
[edit]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.[2] 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.[3]
Photographs
[edit]- GT8-100C/2S tram-train at Orbe railway station
- BDe 4/4 15 and Bt 51 (in the livery of TRAVYS) at Chavornay railway station
- Locomotive Ee 2/2 2 (Ee 927 602) at Orbe railway station
- Electric railcar Be 2/2 14 (Be 557 614) at Les Granges, 2003
- Restaurant car Br 26 at Orbe railway station, 2003
- Saint-Éloi halt, 2003
- Electric freight railcar Fe 2/2 32 at Orbe railway station, 2009
- Electric freight railcar Fe 2/2 33 at Orbe railway station, 1955
References
[edit]- ^ Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 29. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
- ^ TRAVYS website: upgrading of railway (accessed 8 January 2018)
- ^ Budach, Dirk (2022-08-31). "Karlsruhe Tram-Train in Switzerland: A new service between Chavornay and Orbe". Urban Transport Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-30.