Classic route
Bern–Neuchâtel railway
Neuchâtel → Bern · Switzerland
The Direkt Linie of 1901, driven almost dead straight across the Grand Marais — and still part of the shortest rail route from Bern to Paris.
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 2356702 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 4 m from it
- Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits under 100 m from the shape of IR 3213
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Bern–Neuchâtel railway?
The Bern–Neuchâtel railway runs 42 km from Neuchâtel to Bern.
How long does the Bern–Neuchâtel railway take?
The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 45 min for the 42 km. That is an average of 56 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 160 km/h.
Who runs the Bern–Neuchâtel railway?
BLS, with IR 66, InterRegio.
How old is the Bern–Neuchâtel railway?
The line has been in service since 1901. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
How often does the Bern–Neuchâtel railway run?
30 direct trains on a weekday (counted on 2 September 2026).
More classic routes
- LNER Azuma
The Flying Scotsman’s route since 1862: and where Mallard set the never-beaten steam record of 203 km/h in 1938.
Wikipedia ↗ - Alfa Pendular
A tilting Pendolino leaning through the curves of the 19th-century Linha do Norte between Portugal’s two great cities.
Wikipedia ↗ - EIP Pendolino
Rides Poland’s 1970s Central Main Line (CMK), engineered decades ahead of its time and now being upgraded to 250 km/h.
Wikipedia ↗ - Railjet
Follows the old Orient Express alignment down the Danube plain: centre to centre faster than any flight.
Wikipedia ↗
More train routes in Switzerland.