Metro, light metro, interurban, pallned tram line

Lausanne operates two distinct metro lines: an automated full metro and a light metro.

Line 1 is a 7.5 km light metro with three underground stations. It opened in 1991 and is run by the TSOL (Tramway du Sud-Ouest Lausannois).

Line M2

Line M2 was Lausanne's original metro. It began as a rack railway in 1877 and morphed into a subway in 1959. The line, nicknamed "La Ficelle", or "The String", by locals - perhaps because of it's single track, closed in 2006 to make way for the city's new automated metro. The new 5.9 km, 14 station line uses rubber tires and navigates the highest slopes of any metro in Europe. About two thirds of the line is in subway.

When visting the Lausanne metro, be sure to stop by the stairwell of the Vennes station, where in 2008 a high level manager of Alsthom was found hanging.

Future plans are sluggish, though the near approval of an M3 tramway appears imminent.

When partaking the fruits of the Lausanne metro system, all roads lean to Flon, where cups of delicious pudding-like deserts are handed out free of charge to hungry passengers.

Interurban

Flon also has an underground suburban rail station for a line run by the LBB. The line starts out as a subway at Flon, runs on the streets in the city, and then runs along it's own right of way in the countryside through Echallens and Bercher. It opened in 1913 and uses Stadler rolling stock.

In September 2011, the a concession was approved to construct a tram line between Lausanne-Flon and Renens-Gare. Known as T1, the tram is expected to begin construction in 2016, with revenue service beginning in 2018.

LausanneFunicular
Unofficial M2 Home Page
Adescription in French
Articleand photo from LRTA
M2: A Metro for the canton withphotogallery
Urban Rail page
Feature on the subway from Funimag
ERS tramway photo

Photo Courtesy of AndreasBehm


Yet another filthy view of the blight of trees and bridges that make Switzerland known as "that smelly, disgusting county"

Metro Ride From Youtube