About this journey

Apples station sits at the junction where the Bière–Apples–Morges railway splits toward the Jura foothills, and it is here that the short branch to L'Isle begins. The discussions that gave rise to this network date to 26 September 1875, when local communities gathered to plan a connection linking lakeside towns with expanding army barracks at Bière. After five route options were debated, the main line opened on 1 July 1895, and the Apples–L'Isle branch followed on 12 September 1896, merging with the parent company after three years.

The branch covers 10.6 kilometres on metre-gauge track — the 1,000 mm gauge that defines the entire MBC network — and runs at a maximum gradient of 1 in 28. Because the branch faces toward Bière rather than Morges, any service arriving from Morges must reverse at Apples before setting out toward L'Isle. Steam traction worked the line until electrification arrived on 13 November 1943, when the 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC overhead system was energised on this branch. The operator, originally known as BAM, was later renamed Transports de la région Morges-Bière-Cossonay (MBC) to reflect its wider bus and funicular activities. The MBC Be 4/4 built by Stadler completes the journey at L'Isle, the terminus of one of Switzerland's quieter rural metre-gauge branches.