Swiss East–West Railway
Encyclopedia
The Swiss East–West Railway (German
: Schweizerische Ostwestbahn, OWB) was a former Swiss
rail company, which planned to build a line to compete with the network of the Swiss Central Railway
(German: Schweizerische Centralbahn, SCB) in central Switzerland on which construction commenced in 1857.
Jakob Stämpfli
, a federal politician, established the company to build a line between La Neuveville
(on Lake Biel
in western Switzerland) and Zürich via Bern, Langnau im Emmental
, Luzern and Zug. It began construction without raising sufficient finance to guarantee its completion. It opened a line between Frienisberg (near Le Landeron
) and Biel (now part of the Jura foot line
on 3 December 1860, but then went bankrupt. The completed section from La Neuveville and Langnau line was taken over by the Canton of Berne
and incorporated as the Bern State Railway (German: Bernische Staatsbahn, BSB) in June 1861, which continued building the line to Lucerne. The concession for the section from Lucerne to Zürich via Affoltern am Albis was bought out of the bankrupt estate by the Swiss Northeast Railway (German: Schweizerische Nordostbahn) and established as a subsidiary, the Zürich–Zug–Lucerne Railway (German: Zürich–Zug–Luzern-Bahn, ZZL). Construction of the line was completed in 1864 and shortly later it was connected to SCB's Olten–Lucerne line to Lucerne station
, which had opened in 1856 on the edge of the lake, across the Reuss River
from the centre of the town. part of this line now forms part of the Zürich–Lucerne line.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Schweizerische Ostwestbahn, OWB) was a former Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
rail company, which planned to build a line to compete with the network of the Swiss Central Railway
Swiss Central Railway
The Swiss Central Railway was a Swiss railway company from 1853 to 1902.In 2005 the name Centralbahn was revived for new railway company created by the merger of the Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn and the Brünigbahn...
(German: Schweizerische Centralbahn, SCB) in central Switzerland on which construction commenced in 1857.
Jakob Stämpfli
Jakob Stämpfli
Jakob Stämpfli was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 6 December 1854, and handed over office on 31 December 1863...
, a federal politician, established the company to build a line between La Neuveville
La Neuveville
La Neuveville is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .-Geography:...
(on Lake Biel
Lake Biel
Lake Biel or Lake Bienne is a lake in the west of Switzerland. Together with Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel, it is one of the three large lakes in the Jura region of Switzerland. It lies approximately at , at the language boundary between German & French speaking areas.The lake is 15 km long and up...
in western Switzerland) and Zürich via Bern, Langnau im Emmental
Langnau im Emmental
-Sport:Langnau is the home of the SCL Tigers, who plays in the Swiss National League A. They play their home games at the Ilfis Stadium.- External links :* * *...
, Luzern and Zug. It began construction without raising sufficient finance to guarantee its completion. It opened a line between Frienisberg (near Le Landeron
Le Landeron
Le Landeron is a municipality in the district of Neuchâtel in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.-History:Le Landeron is first mentioned about 1209 as Landiron.-Prehistory:...
) and Biel (now part of the Jura foot line
Jura foot railway line
The Jura foot line or Jura south foot line , also called the Swiss railway line, runs from Olten along the foot of the southern Jura range through Solothurn, Grenchen, Biel/Bienne, Neuchâtel Yverdon-les-Bains and Morges to Geneva. It is one of two routes used by intercity trains between Geneva...
on 3 December 1860, but then went bankrupt. The completed section from La Neuveville and Langnau line was taken over by the Canton of Berne
Canton of Berne
The Canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south...
and incorporated as the Bern State Railway (German: Bernische Staatsbahn, BSB) in June 1861, which continued building the line to Lucerne. The concession for the section from Lucerne to Zürich via Affoltern am Albis was bought out of the bankrupt estate by the Swiss Northeast Railway (German: Schweizerische Nordostbahn) and established as a subsidiary, the Zürich–Zug–Lucerne Railway (German: Zürich–Zug–Luzern-Bahn, ZZL). Construction of the line was completed in 1864 and shortly later it was connected to SCB's Olten–Lucerne line to Lucerne station
Lucerne railway station
Lucerne railway station is a major hub of the Swiss rail network. It is a terminal station serving domestic and international traffic on several rail lines...
, which had opened in 1856 on the edge of the lake, across the Reuss River
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
from the centre of the town. part of this line now forms part of the Zürich–Lucerne line.