Orbe-Chavornay railway

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.

Orbe-Chavornay railway line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	TRAVYS
Locale	Canton of Vaud, Switzerland
Termini	Orbe Chavornay
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
Route map SBB to Yverdon-les-Bains 0.0 km 0 mi Orbe 0.5 km 0.3 mi St-Eloi 1.5 km 0.9 mi Les Granges (Orbe) 3.9 km 2.4 mi Chavornay SBB to Lausanne [1]

Since 2001 the line has been operated by the Transports Vallée de Joux - Yverdon-les-Bains - Ste-Croix (TRAVYS).

Modernisation

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]

Photographs

• 
  Locomotive Ee 2/2 2 (Ee 927 602) at Orbe station
• 
  Electric railcar Be 2/2 14 (Be 557 614) at Les Granges, 2003
• 
  Restaurant car Br 26 at Orbe, 2003
• 
  Saint-Éloi halt, 2003
• 
  Fe 2/2 32 at Orbe station, 2009
• 
  BDe 4/4 15 and Bt 51 (in the livery of TRAVYS) at Chavornay station

References

1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 29. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
2. TRAVYS website: upgrading of railway (accessed 8 January 2018)