LEB chemin de fer

What LEB chemin de fer does

LEB – Compagnie du chemin de fer Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher SA is a privately held Swiss regional railway company founded in 1873, incorporated in Echallens, Canton Vaud, and operating the metre-gauge Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher rail corridor under a federal concession. The company is governed by a Board of Directors and a Council of Municipalities (Conseil des communes) representing the served communes, and has contracted day-to-day operational management to Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl) since September 2013; approximately 100 tl staff based at Echallens run train operations, customer service, infrastructure maintenance, and line planning. LEB is transitioning into the movodis SA holding together with MBC and TRAVYS effective January 1, 2027, at which point movodis will pilot group-wide strategic orientation while LEB retains its individual identity and regional anchoring.

The company's core product is regional passenger rail service on the Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher line, running a modernized low-floor electric fleet (Series 30, 40, and 60 railcars) at a 15-minute cadence to Echallens since December 2020. Underlying infrastructure includes the 1.7 km Chauderon–Union Prilly tunnel opened in 2022 and the JLR (Jouxtens-Mézery / Le Lussex / Romanel-sur-Lausanne) station modernization completed May 1, 2026, with CHF 26 million of Confederation-funded infrastructure work, CHF 2.5 million of safety installations, and CHF 14.5 million for Jouxtens-Mézery. Ticketing is integrated into the Swiss national and Vaud regional ecosystem (SwissPass, Mobilis zones, CFF, FAIRTIQ, SMS short-code 456), and the Echallens station also operates a full-service travel agency distributing Swiss and international rail (TGV, Eurostar, Thalys, Trenitalia, Lyria) plus Railtour and Frantour packages. Ancillary services include leisure itinerary curation in partnership with Echallens Région Tourisme and multimodal integration with Mobility car sharing.

The revenue model is a regulated public-transport fare-box (transactional tickets and recurring subscriptions), supplemented by ancillary travel-agency commissions and (historically) freight that was discontinued in 1970. Pricing is set within the Swiss Federal Transport tariff framework (Mobilis zones and national subscriptions), and the company's market position rests on its exclusive federal concession, its monopoly as the only rail link between Gros-de-Vaud and Lausanne, and its embedding in the tl and CFF distribution stack. Primary customer segments are daily commuters (pendulaires), regional Gros-de-Vaud residents, schoolchildren, and leisure travelers to countryside attractions, with no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts.

Name

LEB chemin de fer

Legal name

Compagnie du chemin de fer Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher sa

Website

https://leb.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LEB is a Swiss federally concessioned metre-gauge regional railway operating passenger service on the Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher corridor in Canton Vaud, managed operationally by tl, and serving Gros-de-Vaud commuters, residents, students, and leisure travelers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Rail Transportation

NAICS

Short Line Railroads (482112)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Long-Distance/Overnight Intercity Rail Operators (THAIAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rail & Intercity Bus Booking Engines (THALADAD)

Keywords

• Regional railway services
• Passenger rail transport
• Public transit operations
• Urban-suburban mobility
• Railway ticketing and subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Echallens

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Passenger Transportation Fares: Core revenue from passenger tickets, subscriptions (SwissPass, Mobilis, general passes, half-fare cards), and special transport titles. Tickets sold at guichets, online, and via SMS/e-ticketing platforms.
2. Travel Agency Services: Travel agency services at Echallens station offering Swiss and international rail tickets (TGV, Eurostar, Thalys, Trenitalia, Lyria), Railtour and Frantour packages, and hotel reservations.
3. Freight Transportation (Historical): Historically handled freight cargo, with rail freight discontinued in 1970 due to urban circulation difficulties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LEB operates regional passenger rail service on the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher metre-gauge line, connecting the Gros-de-Vaud region with the Lausanne metropolitan area in Canton Vaud, Switzerland. The service runs at a 15-minute cadence to Echallens with a fully renewed low-floor electric fleet and is integrated into the national SwissPass and Mobilis ticketing ecosystems. Complementary offerings include a station-based travel agency distributing Swiss and international rail tickets, subscription passes, and curated leisure travel content along the corridor.

Product overview

LEB (Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher) operates as a regional railway company offering a core rail service along the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher line, serving the Gros-de-Vaud region. The product portfolio includes ticketing and subscription services (SwissPass, Mobilis, national subscriptions), a travel agency offering international rail reservations, leisure activity recommendations along the line, and real-time network status information. Operational management is handled by Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl), with the LEB company maintaining governance through its Board of Directors and Council of Municipalities. The company is transitioning toward integration into movodis SA holding structure alongside MBC and TRAVYS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEB Regional Rail Service Regional passenger railway service operating the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher metre-gauge line, connecting the Gros-de-Vaud region with the Lausanne metropolitan area in Canton Vaud, Switzerland. Operated in partnership with Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl) since 2013, running at a 15-minute cadence to Echallens since December 2020.
• Billets (Tickets)

Quantifiable outcome

• 15-minute service frequency to Echallens since December 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• movodis SAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026LEB is pursuing integration into movodis SA, a holding company to be established January 1, 2027, together with MBC and TRAVYS. Based in Yverdon-les-Bains, movodis will pilot strategic orientations for the three transport companies while they retain individual operations, identities, and regional anchoring. The integration marks the end of LEB's independent corporate era.
• Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2013Operational management of LEB services assumed by tl teams since September 2013. Approximately 100 tl collaborators at Echallens handle daily train operations, customer service, infrastructure maintenance, and line development planning. The partnership creates operational and economic synergies while LEB retains governance through its Board of Directors.
• MobilitysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCar sharing service partnership offering multimodal mobility options. Customers can access Mobility car sharing vehicles, complementing rail travel with flexible car access at various locations.
• Echallens Région TourismesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism promotion partnership featuring leisure activities, events, and regional attractions along the LEB line. Weekly summer activity selections published collaboratively, including hiking, markets, exhibitions, and outdoor cinema events accessible directly from LEB stations.
• Association Régionale du Gros-de-VaudsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional association collaborating on leisure activity promotions and tourism development along the LEB line.
• Swiss Federal Railways (CFF)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with CFF for lost and found services and ticketing integration. LEB participates in the unified Swiss lost property system managed by CFF, and tickets are sold through the national SwissPass system.
• Swiss Confederation (Federal Transport)majorOthersPrimary infrastructure funder. Confederation financing covers CHF 26 million for JLR infrastructure work and CHF 2.5 million for safety installations, plus CHF 14.5 million for Jouxtens-Mézery station renovation. Operates under federal railway concession framework.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MBC (Transports Yverdon–Ste-Croix): Regional rail operator serving Yverdon-les-Bains to Sainte-Croix and Vallée de Joux; co-founding peer in movodis SA and direct operational comparator as a Vaud regional railway of similar scale and concession model.
• Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU): Swiss regional rail operator in Canton of Zurich combining S-Bahn commuter service and a rack railway (Uetliberg); directly comparable as a small Swiss regional concessionaire running both commuter and leisure rail operations.
• Transports publics fribourgeois (TPF): Canton of Fribourg public transport operator combining regional rail and bus services; directly comparable as a Swiss cantonal mixed-mode regional operator with similar public-service mandate and federal subsidy dependence.
• Montreux–Oberland Bernois railway (MOB): Swiss heritage narrow-gauge railway operating tourist and commuter services across the Vaud/Bernese Oberland; directly comparable as a Swiss regional rail concessionaire with strong leisure tourism positioning similar to LEB's Gros-de-Vaud offers.
• TRAVYS: Regional Swiss rail operator joining LEB and MBC under the new movodis SA holding from 2027; comparable metre-gauge/regional passenger rail operations in Canton de Vaud, sharing the same funding and operational framework.
• Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ): Swiss regional metre-gauge railway operator connecting La Chaux-de-Fonds, Saignelégier, and Glovelier; directly comparable as a small Swiss regional rail concessionaire under federal framework.

Broad incumbents

• Rhätische Bahn (RhB): Large Swiss regional rail network in Graubünden with substantial metre-gauge passenger operations and significant tourism traffic; comparable Swiss regional railway operator with similar federal concession framework and capital-intensive model.
• Swiss Federal Railways (CFF/SBB): National Swiss rail operator providing ticketing-integration (SwissPass), lost-and-found, and connecting services for LEB passengers; sets the strategic and regulatory framework within which Swiss regional railways like LEB operate.
• BLS AG: Major Swiss regional and intercity rail operator with similar low-floor fleet programs and SwissPass-style integration; broader portfolio (bus, cargo, retail) but directly comparable as a Swiss regional rail operator.

Regional players

• Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl): Lausanne-area public transport operator that has run LEB daily operations since 2013; comparable public-transit ticketing, subscription, and network-integration practices within the same Vaud/Lausanne market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leb-chemin-de-fer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LEB chemin de fer