The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Basel trams stop crossing French border at night after attacks  

Basel tram
The number three tram line of the Basel City public transport system (BVB) has connected Basel with the neighbouring French commune of St-Louis since December 2017. © Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

Trams will no longer cross the border after dark on a line from the Swiss city of Basel into France following a series of attacks against tram drivers.  

The number three tram line of the Basel City public transport system (BVB) has connected Basel with the neighbouring French commune of St-Louis since December 2017.   

The trams on this line have been targeted on several occasions in France by people throwing stones and using laser pointers. Security agents started accompanying the trams on the French side last November.  

Laser pointer attacks against two drivers last month proved the last straw, pushing the BVB to decide that the Basel trams will no longer circulate in France after 8pm. This is to ensure the safety of staff and passengers.  

“We now expect the relevant French authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure traffic safety on this stretch,” BVB traffic officer Bruno Stehrenberger told Keystone-SDA.  

The Basel public transport networkExternal link has a tram network consisting of 13 lines, operated by BVB and Baselland Transport. Three of the lines cross into neighouring countries: line 3 runs between Birsfelden Hard in Basel, Switzerland, and St. Louis in France, line 10 runs between Dornach in Switzerland and Rodersdorf Station, passing via Leyman in France, and line 8 connects Neuweilerstrasse in Basel to Weil am Rhein in Germany.

A smartphone displays the SWIplus app with news for Swiss citizens abroad. Next to it, a red banner with the text: ‘Stay connected with Switzerland’ and a call to download the app.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Nestlé puts an end to the Nutri-Score for products sold in Switzerland

More

Nestlé scraps Nutri-Score food label in Switzerland

This content was published on Nestlé plans to phase out its Nutri-Score nutrition labelling system on products sold in Switzerland. The food giant says it is almost the last company in the country to use it.

Read more: Nestlé scraps Nutri-Score food label in Switzerland
Fewer coaches stop in Lucerne city centre due to charges

More

Lucerne coach tax puts brakes on tourist influx

This content was published on The number of tourist coaches stopping at Schwanenplatz in the centre of Lucerne was down by two-thirds in April, compared to the same month last year.

Read more: Lucerne coach tax puts brakes on tourist influx

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR