The city of Basel, Switzerland, will no longer offer night trams traveling across the border into France after a series of attacks on drivers and trains, local authorities have decided.
Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB), Basel's public transport system, has offered commuters the opportunity to ride into Saint-Louis, France, since 2017, but the route will now only operate until 8pm after an increase of dangerous episodes on the line.
"In recent days, there were repeated security incidents on the tram line 3 on French soil," BVB announced. "To protect the safety of the driving personnel and the passengers, BVB therefore decided to stop the tram service between Burgfelderhof and Gare de Saint-Louis after 8 pm until the end of the business year, immediately and without replacement."
In late 2018, saboteurs began throwing stones against the wheels of the trams and committed various acts of vandalism, prompting a need for French security personnel to be stationed on call.
However, multiple drivers have now suffered injuries after being flashed in the eyes with laser pointers, prompting some to refuse to operate on the route.
"Last Tuesday, the laser attacks started," BVB spokesman Benjamin Schmid told Basler Zeitung. "Friday, Saturday and Tuesday - there were more attacks. Now it is definitely life-threatening. We could not watch any longer."
One driver told 20 Minutes that the problems are even more severe than they are being reported.
"The situation is so precarious that tram drivers now refuse to drive on this route," the driver said. "The problem is hushed up. Personally, I know two chauffeurs who were attacked, one of them injured his eye. In the worst case, those affected by these attacks can go blind in the long term."
Some French riders and officials are outraged at the decision, however BVB has assured there will be no disruptions to service on Swiss soil.
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