K4 Bus Stop Upgrades and Optimisation of the Overall Transport System for RBus, Kriens

Bus line 1 of the Lucerne Transport Authority (vbl) is the busiest bus line in the canton of Lucerne. Each day, up to 15,000 passengers travel between Kriens and Lucerne. As there are no alternatives such as an S-Bahn and no plans to introduce one in the foreseeable future for urban planning reasons, the bus service is essential. However, capacity bottlenecks in motorised traffic have a direct impact on the punctuality and reliability of the bus operations.

To increase public transport capacity, Rapid Buses (RBus) have been operating on line 1 since 2014. These double-articulated trolleybuses (DGT) with five doors are intended to gradually achieve the standard of a tram system. As part of this, bus stop edges between Schachenstrasse and the city boundary have been adapted and the route optimised for RBus operations. A key element of the optimisation is the construction of a new traffic light system at the Alpenstrasse junction to prioritise buses when departing from the stop and along the following section. Prior to the main works, five overhead line masts of the vbl had to be relocated. In total, six new bus concrete slabs, three modern bus shelters, a new boundary wall and a property wall with noise protection elements were constructed.

Mandate and schedule:
In November 2016, the Canton of Lucerne commissioned Emch+Berger WSB AG to plan four RBus stops along the K4 in Kriens, covering project stages from the preliminary design to project approval. In April 2022, Gruner AG was commissioned to manage the stages from detailed design to commissioning.
Construction began in February 2023 and was completed in October 2023.

Client: Canton of Lucerne, Transport and Infrastructure (vif)
Builder: Schmid Bauunternehmung AG
Traffic light specialist: Marty + Partner AG

Back to overview