Transports publics Fribourgeois


The Transports Publics Fribourgeois is a renaming of the former Chemins de fer Fribourgeois Gruyère-Fribourg-Morat when the municipal Transport en commun de Fribourg was absorbed in 2000.

Lines

The company is a railway operator with both narrow and standard gauge lines centred in the town of Bulle. The main line of the narrow gauge network runs from Palézieux railway station, on the SBB main line from Bern to Lausanne, via Châtel-St-Denis and Bulle to Montbovon. The short Bulle - Broc branch, which leaves this line between Bulle and La Tour-de-Trême, serves the nearby Nestlé chocolate factory. The company also operates two standard-gauge lines, between Bulle and Romont and Fribourg - Ins via Murten/Morat. Trains on the latter route have been extended and now operate a regular interval service Fribourg - Murten - Ins - Neuchatel, taking them on to BLS tracks.
The Palézieux - Montbovon line was opened throughout in 1904. The Chemin de fer Châtel-St-Denis-Palézieux and the Chemin de fer Châtel-St-Denis-Bulle-Montbovon amalgamated in 1907 to form the Chemins de fer électriques de la Gruyère, adding the Bulle - Broc branch line in 1912. The two standard gauge operations joined in a further amalgamation on 1 January 1942, when together they formed the Chemins de fer Fribourgeois, Gruyère-Fribourg-Morat.
The closure of a connecting line took place in 1969, when the section of the Chemins de Fer Veveysans from Chatel St Denis to Vevey on Lake Geneva was closed. If it had survived, it would nowadays almost certainly have become a useful tourist route from the lake to the chocolate factory. One contributing factor was the political and human geography of Switzerland. Evidence of the existence of this line still exists at Chatel St Denis, where Bulle - Palézieux trains have to reverse.
TPF operations are centered on Bulle which has a depot, workshops and offers a connection to the standard gauge line to Romont as well as express bus services to the capital. The transfer to the MOB takes place in Montbovon.
Today, on both systems, passenger traffic is carried out by electric units, single driving cars, coupled at busy times to trailers. Standard gauge goods traffic can transfer to the metre gauge where the wagons are transported on carrier trucks. The company still has few metre gauge wagons, all now connected with railway engineering.

Locomotives and rolling stock

A few vehicles inherited from the former companies and even dating back to pre - First World War days are in use for shunting and departmental use.
Metre Gauge Locomotives and Rolling Stock
No.NameClassBuilders detailsDateRebuiltNotes.
11Te 2/2GFM/MFO19131991Works No. 33.
12Te 2/2GFM/AI19131954
13Te 4/4SWS/AI/GFM19011959
14Te 4/4SWS/AI/GFM19011978
15Tm 2/2Schöma/Deutz19711981
16Tm 2/2CFD Industries1987
101Ville de BulleGDe 4/4SLM/BBC1983Out of Service from 10.12.06, Sold to MOB, April 2007, No.6005
102NeirivueGDe 4/4SLM/BBC1983Out of Service from 10.12.06, Sold to MOB, April 2007, No.6006
115Be 4/4SWS/Alioth19051959Electric Railcar, 46 seats. Used for historic train operations, but also still used for workaday works/engineering duties
116Be 4/4SWS/Alioth19221951/1999Preserved Electric Railcar, 46 seats.
121RemaufensBDe 4/4ACMV/ABB1992
122La Tour-de-TrêmeBDe 4/4ACMV/ABB1992
123BrocBDe 4/4ACMV/ABB1996
124VuadensBDe 4/4ACMV/ABB1996
131Be 4/4SWS/BBC1943
132Be 4/4SWS/BBC1943Withdrawn
141Gruyères1BDe 4/4Schindler/SAAS1972
142SemsalesBDe 4/4Schindler/SAAS1972
151La Gruyère1Be 4/4ACMV/BBC1977
152Châtel St. DenisBe 4/4ACMV/BBC1977
221BtACMV/BBC1992Voiture Pilote
222BtACMV/BBC1992Voiture Pilote
223BtACMV/BBC1992Voiture Pilote
224BtVevey/ABB1996Voiture Pilote
225BtACMV/BBC1996Voiture Pilote
226BtVevey/ABB1996Voiture Pilote
232B2GFM1919Preserved Coach
235B2SWS1903Preserved Coach
237B2SWS1905Preserved Coach
245BrsSIG/R+J19311991Preserved Coach, ex-Brünigbahn
247BrsSIG19321985Preserved Coach, ex-Brünigbahn
251BtSIG/SAAS1977Voiture Pilote
252BtSIG/SAAS1977Voiture Pilote
253BtSIG/SWP/BBC1981Voiture Pilote
254BtSIG/SWP/BBC1981Voiture Pilote
255BtSIG/SWP/BBC1981Voiture Pilote
256BtSIG/SWP/BBC1981Voiture Pilote
401DZSWS1912Post/Baggage Car
402DZSWS1912Post/Baggage Car

1Gruyère is the name of the Region while Gruyères stands for the small town, situated between Bulle and Montbovon

Abbreviations

Standard Gauge Locomotives and Rolling Stock
NumberNameClassBuilders detailsAir cond.DateRebuiltNotes.
82Tm2/2RACO/Mercedes19641973Aebi Works No.1634 ex Von Roll 22 1973
837 084Tm3/3Krupp/MAN1963Works No.4395 ex Shell Ingolstadt 1983
85Tm2/2Moyse /Deutz1977
237 087Tm2/2Stadler/Adtranz2000Works No. 532 ex-MThB 236 649 in 2003
217 091Ee2/2SIG/BBC1960
161ABDe4/4SIG/BBC19461965Seats 1st/2nd:16/32
162ABDe4/4SIG/BBC19461965scrapped
163ABDe4/4SIG/BBC19461965scrapped
164ABDe4/4SIG/BBC19471965
166ABe4/4SIG/BBC1947-
167ABDe4/4SIG/BBC1948scrapped
567 171La SarineRBDe4/4SIG/SWS/BBCX1983two cabs, front door
567 172VullyRBDe4/4SIG/SWS/BBCX1983two cabs, front door
567 173La GlâneRBDe4/4SIG/SWS/BBCX1983two cabs, front door, 1992 ex TRN 104
537 176RABDe4/4SIG/SWA/BBC/MFO/SAAS19642006 ex- Thurbo/MThB 11, Die Hegau-Bodensee Bahn, named Stadt Wil
567 316RBDeSWP/SIG/BBCX1985long-term lease from TRN
567 181RBDe4/4SWP/SIG/ABBX1991
567 182RBDe4/4SWP/SIG/ABBX1991
361BFFA19632000
362BFFA1963
364BSWP/SIGX1984
365BSWP/SIGX1984
366BFFA1963ex-TMR/MO 41
367BStadlerX2006low floor
368BStadlerX2006low floor
369BStadlerX2006low floor
371ABtSWS/BBCX1983front door
372ABtSWP/BBC19642003ex- Bt originally number 302
373ABtSWP/SIG/BBCX1985front door
374BtSWP/BBC196419831993 ex-TRN 203
375BtSWP/BBC1964ex- Thurbo 203 and originally GFM 301
381ABtSWP/SIG/ABBX1991
382ABtSWP/SIG/ABBX1991
204ABtSWP/SIG/BBCX1985long term-lease from TRN
383ABtSWP/SIG/ABBX19912006 ex-TRN 206

Abbreviations
New Deliveries
Five existing motor coaches 171-173, 181-182 plus one identical vehicle RBDe 567 316 on long-term lease from TRN SA were recently modernized, incorporating new seating, air condition, information displays and video recording. The same modernization occurred with matching driving trailers 371, 373, 381, 382 and 383 ex TRN SA plus one, ABt 204, on long-term lease from TRN SA. Also the two matching coaches 364-365 were treated accordingly. First class compartment is now in the driving trailer and no longer in the motor coach, which had before been classified RABDe 537.
Three new intermediate coaches, all second class, have been delivered from Stadler and incorporate a low level centre section suitable for pram / buggy and disabled access. These cars have large windows and other facilities as featured throughout the train.

Livery

The trains were painted in a grey livery with a broad orange band below the windows, marked "La Gruyère", a few vehicles even still had the older green/cream livery. In 2001, the first of the repainted units appeared on the line in a plain white livery with lining and "tpf" lettering in cherry red.

Fare structure

From 12 December 2006, the TPF together with SBB-CFF-FFS, BLS, CarPostal Suisse, MOB, STB and VMCV introduced a canton-wide zone fare known as "frimobil", ordered and subsidized by the canton. It was advertised as "offering freedom and mobility throughout the region".

Vintage train

The company operate a "Retro Train" using vintage stock and railcar. Operating at weekends throughout the year it offers travel in a 1926-built coach named Moléjon coupled to a bar-coach named La Grevire, the power being supplied by an electric railcar dating from the early 1920s. Included in the price is a fondue followed by Meringues with local delicacy, Crème de Gruyère.

Narrow gauge freight services

Until 10 December 2006 the company operated three main freight routes:
From that date the handling of the first two freight routes was taken over by SBB Cargo, the third by MOB. Thus, the company's two GDe 4/4 locomotives, together with the hopper cars, became surplus to requirements and were sold to the MOB in April 2007. TPF is paid by SBB Cargo for conveying the standard gauge wagons on transporter trucks to/from Bulle and Montbovon by accordingly fitted motor coaches 121-124.