The history of Regionalverkehr Mittelland Ltd

Although the first railway line, operating as a horse-drawn railway between Biberist and Derendingen, was put into service on 1 April 1864 as the forerunner of the Emmental Railway, the first railway projects of SMB and VHB were even older.

As early as June 1847, the first plans for a tunnel through the Weissenstein mountain were being discussed. In 1852, the concession of the Canton of Lucerne stated that the important north–south axis (Basel–Lucerne) should pass via Willisau–Wolhusen.

However, all regions dreaming of a connection to a major transit route and the resulting economic boom were disappointed. Nevertheless, through great commitment and effort, connections to the major economic regions were eventually achieved.

The pioneering years were marked by the founding of numerous railway companies and railway lines: in 1875, the Emmental Railway (EB) became the first branch railway in Switzerland with the Burgdorf–Solothurn route. In 1881, the Burgdorf–Langnau line followed, also operated by the EB.

In the years that followed, the lines Langenthal–Huttwil (LHB, 1889), Huttwil–Wolhusen (HWB, 1895), Hasle-Rüegsau–Thun (BTB, 1899), Ramsei–Sumiswald–Huttwil (RSHB, 1908) with a branch line to Wasen, Solothurn–Moutier (SMB, 1908) and Huttwil–Eriswil (HEB, 1915) entered service.

Behind these figures lie the work, effort, suffering, struggles, hopes and disappointments of many people. Through their dedication, they shaped the future of the various railway lines which, despite being away from the main transport routes, ensured connections to the wider world for the benefit of the regions.

Municipalities and private individuals made major financial sacrifices to avoid losing these connections. This objective runs like a common thread through the history of Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG (RM).

The strong connection between the population and the railway became one of the defining characteristics of the RM regions. Employees often resisted offers of better wages elsewhere in order to continue working in their home region.

Station masters were usually the key figures linking people together. They served as central points of communication. Decisions were made through mutual consultation, and during the electrification in 1932, contracts were awarded according to quality and the intensity of railway usage.

Another defining feature was the long-term vision shown in planning and implementation. At the opening of the Burgdorf–Langnau line in 1881, Regierungsrat Bitzius, son of Jeremias Gotthelf, stated that the Emmental Railway was the first railway in Switzerland to complete construction below budget.

In 1899, the Burgdorf–Thun Railway became the first fully electric railway in Europe. This demonstrates the foresight of the regional leaders of the time, who accepted both the risks and the additional financial burden. Their pioneering effort became the starting point for the electrification of railways throughout Europe.

During the railway boom of the founding era, an independent railway company was established for each individual line. In order to keep operating costs low, new lines often joined existing railway companies. These operating partnerships were later merged, resulting by 1944 in the EBT, SMB and VHB, which continued to operate together as a railway group until the RM merger.

As early as 1969, discussions began about replacing the VHB line Huttwil–Eriswil with bus services. This change was first introduced as a trial operation in 1975 and became permanent in 1978. The Wasen line followed in 1994, and further service adjustments have repeatedly been the subject of political and economic discussions.

In 1997, EBT, SMB and VHB merged to form Regionalverkehr Mittelland Ltd (RM). Through a restructuring into profit centres, supported by a four-pillar concept consisting of vision, strategy, mission statement and strategic projects, RM transformed itself from a purely administrative operation into an independent company.

Visible to customers were the takeover of S-Bahn lines 4 and 44 in 1999, the introduction of new rolling stock (GTW), numerous low-floor buses and the opening of functional and colourful customer centres.

In June 2006, Regionalverkehr Mittelland Ltd and BLS Lötschbergbahn Ltd merged into BLS Ltd. The general meetings of the two railway companies took place on 22 June 2006 (RM Ltd) and 23 June 2006 (BLS Lötschbergbahn Ltd).

The shareholders of both railway companies approved the merger with BLS Ltd. The owners of the new company BLS Ltd are the Canton of Bern with 55.8%, the Swiss Confederation with 21.7%, and other cantons, municipalities and private shareholders with 22.5% of the shares. The actual establishment of BLS Ltd took place on 24 April 2006 through the exchange of BLS and RM shares for shares in BLS Ltd by the participating cantons of Bern, Lucerne, Solothurn, Valais and Neuchâtel.

With this merger, BLS Ltd became, alongside SBB, the largest transport services company operating on Switzerland’s standard-gauge rail network. In regional passenger transport, the company serves an area stretching between Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Lucerne, and between the Jura Mountains and the Simplon massif.

Operations and services of the Bern S-Bahn can now be provided under one organisation. More than 37 million passengers use the regional and S-Bahn trains of BLS Ltd every year – and the trend continues to rise.