The biggest rail replacement service in the history of PostBus

The trains stopped running: during the first stage of the renovation of the Neuchâtel RER S-Bahn, rail services between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds were interrupted due to construction work. From 1 March to the end of October 2021, PostBus and the transport company transN provided a replacement service: passengers travelled exclusively on buses between the upper and lower parts of the canton for eight months. 40 bus drivers worked in 19 Postbuses from all over Switzerland (including two double-deckers), alongside 12 buses operated by transN. “A project on this scale is historic for PostBus,” explains Philippe Cina, Head of Market & Customers in Western Switzerland. “But everything ran very smoothly thanks to meticulous planning and partnership-based collaboration between the Canton of Neuchâtel, the municipalities and the transport companies.” The 6,000 passengers who used the replacement services every day were also satisfied with the seamless connections and plannable journey times.

Thanks to meticulous planning and partnership-based collaboration, the rail replacement service ran smoothly.