The line was opened in two stages: • 25 August 1876: Payerne–Palézieux • 1 February 1877: Payerne–Yverdon. The line was owned by the
Western Swiss Railways (
Chemins de fer de la Suisse Occidentale), which already operated the
Jura Foot Railway via Yverdon and the
Lausanne–Bern railway via Fribourg. The competition from the two established main lines and the rural character of the catchment area never allowed the Fribourg−Yverdon railway to advance beyond the status of a secondary line. Various mergers of railway companies led to the line becoming owned by the SBB at its foundation in 1903. Most of the line was electrified in 1944–1947, late by Swiss standards and reflecting its low traffic. The Givisiez–Fribourg section had already been electrified from 1903 to 1947 for the trains of the
Chemin de fer Fribourg–Morat–Anet (FMA) at 750 Volt and side-contact
third rail. == Route ==