Basel trams stop crossing French border at night after attacks  

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.