Private company

Western Switzerland Railways

Swiss railway companies

The Western Switzerland Railways (Chemins de fer de la Suisse Occidentale, shortened to Suisse-Occidentale; SO or S-O), were initially a joint operation of three Swiss railway companies, but these companies merged on 1 January 1872. The company was called the Western Switzerland–Simplon Railways (Chemins de fer de la Suisse Occidentale et du Simplon, shortened to Suisse-Occidentale–Simplon; SOS or SO-S) from 28 June 1881.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1872Founded1
  • Legal formjoint-stock company1

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Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Western Switzerland Railways (Chemins de fer de la Suisse Occidentale, shortened to Suisse-Occidentale; SO or S-O), were initially a joint operation of three Swiss railway companies, but these companies merged on 1 January 1872. The company was called the Western Switzerland–Simplon Railways (Chemins de fer de la Suisse Occidentale et du Simplon, shortened to Suisse-Occidentale–Simplon; SOS or SO-S) from 28 June 1881. The SOS merged with the Bernese Jura Railways (Chemins de fer du Jura bernois; JBL) to form the Jura–Simplon Railways (Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Jura–Simplon; JS) on 1 January 1890.2

Products and brands

Ownership of the network of the Association of the Railways of Western Switzerland

The map shows the ownership structure of the network of the Association of French-Swiss Railways at the end of 1871 before its merger as the Western Switzerland Railways.

Network of the Western Switzerland–Simplon (SOS)

The following map shows the Western Switzerland–Simplon route network before the merger with the Jura–Bern–Lucerne (JBL):

From Wikipedia’s article on Western Switzerland Railways, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded Franco-Swiss Company1
  2. Succeeded Jougne-Eclépens Railway1
  3. Succeeded Lausanne–Fribourg–Bern Railway1
  4. Succeeded West Switzerland Company1
  5. Succeeded by Western Switzerland–Simplon Company1

On 1 January 1890, the SOS merged with the Jura-Bern-Lucerne Railway (JBL), including the Gümligen–Lucerne line, which belonged to the canton of Bern, to form the newly established Jura–Simplon Railways (JS). The Swiss Confederation also participated in the new railway company by means of a voluntary share purchase. Exactly one year later, the Jura–Simplon Railways took over the Pont Vallorbe Railway operated by the SOS. The JS eventually initiated the construction of the Simplon Tunnel, which had been discussed for decades.

From Wikipedia’s article on Western Switzerland Railways, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1881Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1872Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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