page_title: Western Switzerland Railways
section_title: Merger of the Jura-Simplon Railway
hierarchical_section_title: Western Switzerland Railways / Merger of the Jura-Simplon Railway
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Die Jura–Simplon-Bahn (JS) war vor der Verstaatlichung eine der grossen Privatbahn-Gesellschaften der Schweiz. Sie entstand 1890/91 durch die Fusion der wichtigsten Westschweizer Bahnen Suisse-Occidentale–Simplon, Pont–Vallorbe und Jura–Bern–Luzern.
context_page_description: The Western Switzerland Railways, 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 from 28 June 1881. The SOS merged with the Bernese Jura Railways to form the Jura–Simplon Railways on 1 January 1890.
context_section_description: 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.
caption: Map with the route network of the Jura-Simplon railway of 1894
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)"}