Testing of a new traffic management system is underway on the metre gauge railway connecting Bern with Solothurn and nearby towns, and the equipment is expected to go live in mid-2017. Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn commissioned the system from PSI Transcom with a view to improving punctuality and reliability on its 50km network. Installation has been in progress since last year and the interface to the train control system has been completed; completion of the scheme is scheduled for 2018.
The first Swiss operator to introduce a full regular-intervall timetable in 1974, RBS today operates up to 550 trains a day. Its four routes form part of the Bern S-Bahn, with each having a basic 15 min interval service plus additional trains during peak hours. Up to 42 trains per hour are scheduled to run in and out of the four-track underground terminus in Bern, using the double-track section Worblaufen. [...]