Lausanne (250,000 inh.) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Vaud on the northern shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) in the French speaking part of Switzerland. The Olympic Capital spreads out over the hills along the lake, and trolleybuses (most of them with a trailer) run up and down the serpentine roads to the old city centre near Flon.

In 1877 a funicular railway was built to connect the lakeside resort of Ouchy to the city centre. This single track line (double track at Montriond station to allow crossing of trains) was converted to rack railway operation in 1958 and was then operated with two 2-car-trains using a kind of electric locomotive. Trains provided a fast and frequent (6-10 minutes) service between Flon and Ouchy via the Swiss Federal Railways Station (Gare CFF). The line was later referred to as Métro-Ouchy, while Métro-Gare was a special shuttle service between Flon and Gare CFF using a separate track in the same tunnel between these two stations. Service on this line, which opened as a funicular in 1879 and was converted to rack railway in 1954, was provided by only one single carriage running permanently up and down. This was actually the busiest of all urban rail lines. On 22 January 2006 the original Métro-Ouchy was closed to allow its conversion to metro line m2

(View Metro-Ouchy Gallery).

The Métro-Ouest (Metro West), now known as line m1, is a modern light rail line which connects Lausanne's city centre at Flon to Renens-Gare in the west via Chavannes and Ecublens (opened 1991). The line is mainly at grade, on a separate right-of-way with priority at road intersections. It is almost entirely single-track except at most stations where trains cross each other. The total length is 7.8 km with 15 stations (3 underground, average station distance is 557 m), a ride takes 19 minutes. The line is especially busy with students travelling to the EPFL and UNIL University campuses.

More about line m1

Taking advantage of the former Métro-Ouchy right-of-way, a fully automated metro line (URBALIS system from Alstom), the m2, started revenue service on 27 Oct 2008, after an official opening celebrated on 18 Sept 2008. After a referendum held in Nov. 2002, construction began in late 2003. On the old section, the former Montriond station was renamed Grancy, and moved towards Gare CFF. A new station was added between Grancy and Jordils, named Délices. The m2 connects Ouchy and the central railway station to Croisettes in the north-east, with most of its alignment being underground, after most of the sections of the old line have been covered and a park created on the surface. At Flon transfer is provided to line m1 (Métro-Ouest) and the LEB Railway. The entire rubber-tyred line is double-track except for a short single-track section, where trains pass under the Federal Railway tracks in the old tunnel used by the rack railway. Along the approx. 6 km route there is a change in altitude of 338 m, with a maximum gradient of 12%, and an average gradient of 6%. Lausanne-Gare CFF station has platforms with an 11.5% slope! At 25 m below the surface, Fourmi station is the deepest.

The automatic metro line is 5.9 km long with 14 stations. 15 2-car trains, similar to Paris's MP89 vehicles (line 14) but only 30 m long, were delivered by Alstom. The depot is linked to the Vennes station.

More about line m2 (with photos of all stations)

The LEB is a suburban railway serving the northwestern parts of Lausanne and its surrounding towns. It used to run underground from its Flon terminus, which opened on 28 May 2000, to a point some 500 m west of Chauderon. The tunnel was eventually extended on 15 May 2022 up to Union-Prilly, thus eliminating the fromer on-street alignment. The rest of the line is mostly on a dedicated single-track right-of-way. The entire line is 24 km and has 22 stops.

1877 - Métro-Ouchy
1991 - Métro-Ouest

27 Oct 2008 - m2 Ouchy - Croisettes

A modern tram is under construction to link Flon, the central transport hub in Lausanne, with Renens on a direct route (4.6 km, 2024). In a second stage it will continue west to Villars-Sainte-Croix (3.1 km).

[Project Website]

T-L Lausanne Public Transport (Official Site)

Mobilis Vaud (Fare system)

LEB Suburban Line

Lausanne Metro at Wikipedia

Métro-Ouchy at wikipedia.de

Lausanne Metro track map incl. m2

 Robert Schwandl:

   TRAM ATLAS SCHWEIZ & ÖSTERREICH (3rd edition)

 Feb. 2023 , Robert Schwandl Verlag, ISBN 3-936573-72-5 (More info)

Detailed geographically correct maps of all Swiss and Austrian tram and trolleybus systems, illustrated with numerous colour photos and enhanced with basic data about routes, lines, rolling stock, etc.

More photos of the now disappeared Métro-Ouchy